For those who don’t know, Local First Milwaukee is a “buy local” group that encourages businesses and consumer to understand the value that comes from supporting locally-owned and small businesses in the metro-Milwaukee area. Did you know, for instance, that non-profits receive an average of 250% MORE support from locally-owned businesses than from their larger-scale competitors? See more facts about buying local HERE.

As I mentioned, this morning’s event was attended by a number of LFM members, new and established! Here’s who I saw present and enjoying the Stone Creek Coffee:

+Companion Art Gallery + Pampered Pets - continue to help serve pets and the people who love them.

+Eco-Hatchery – recently won an award from the EPA for their “lightbulb finder” app!

+Newaukee – helping young professionals to discover the great social scene of Milwaukee!

+Art Milwaukee – a “temp agency for artists”, they also contract artists to do “live creations” at special events and commissioned the Coutos Brothers piece at the corner of 1st and Pittsburgh!

+Fair Trade For All – just opened a second location on East Capitol Drive (near the City Market). Gail Bennett, owner of Fair Trade For All, also told me about the progress she’s making with the Well City of Milwaukee program, where she’s helping to encourage businesses to develop in-house wellness programs!

+C2 Graphics and Productivity Solutions – continues to teach Adobe-certified classes in Milwaukee and Madison.

+Artworks for Milwaukee – is advocating for more public art in Milwaukee and working with at-risk youths to create art.

+Mark the Occasion Designs - is making special occasion bouquets from reclaimed and non-flower materials! What an exciting and interesting idea!

+91.7 WMSE – is continuing to provide as the “go to” independent radio station in town! Mark your calendar for their February 4th Dance Party!

+Horizon Homecare Hospice – is encouraging people to visit their free Grief Center , and its accompanying blog, where people kind find support and help in dealing with a number of kinds of loss – divorce, death, death of a pet.

+Stone Creek Coffee – mentioned their exciting new plans to remodel their 5th Street Roasting Plant. The “new” building will have a bakery and a factory-outlet store! They’re looking to be open by Labor Day 2012.

+Wisconsin Public Radio - is continuing to share great public radio programs with Wisconsin!

+and myself, Troy Freund Photography!

+Tool Shed (East Side). La Decadanse. Photos by Balthazar and SM Kubica. Open from 5-9p. (write-up at 3rd Coast)

+Haggerty Museum of Art (downtown, Marquette). Tina Barney – The Europeans. Open from 10a-9p.

+Walker’s Point Center for the Arts (Walker’s Point). COPA Juried Show. Closing reception from 5-9p.

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If there’s a photo-exhibit that I’ve missed mentioning, please let me know and I’ll get this list updated, pronto!

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+Not open on Gallery Night, but a show you should see during normal hours: “One World, One People: Jewish Photographic Portraits by Arnold Newman” at the Jewishmuseum.

For working professionals and aspiring professionals…the “Real World Estimating Workshop” on February 19th.

For amateur shutterbugs who are still interested in working in a wet darkroom, I’ll be teaching my “Guided Black-and-White Darkroom on Wednesday evenings this spring. The class will be from Feb 7 through May 1, meeting on Tuesday nights from 6:30-9:30p. Cost for 4-6 students will be $150/student. If more than 6 students sign up, the cost will go down to $125. Email me at troyfreund at gmail dot com to sign up or to ask any questions!

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For amateurs and pros alike, Erik Ljung is organizing a great photo-event – the “BS @ PS” show, otherwise known as the “Book Show at the Portrait Society.”

“The show is calling for submissions from Wisconsin based photographers of all experience levels. There is a ton of talent in this state and we want to showcase that, and the photo book seems like the perfect form to showcase a photographers work in all its intended glory.

We are recruiting esteemed judges to pick “winners” for each submission category. The winners will be featured in the exhibit, as well as receiving a cash prize. However, all photo books submitted will be on display!

We are seeking a nominal fee of $30 per submission in order to help fund this project (lectures, renting spaces, cash prizes, judges, etc).

I have set up a blog, a facebook, and a flickr group which can be found below.

http://bsatps.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/BS-at-PS-A-Photo-Book-Show-at-Portrait-Society/251247561565994

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1711590@N20/ ”

This is Ms. Wilberding and her dog, Miller, at the Lion’s Den park, near Grafton, WI. Shot with an old Calumet 4×5 camera, 240mm lens, FP4 (B+W) and EPP100 (color) film.

For Immediate Release:  

Boulevard Theatre
announces immediate auditions
for a modern staging of acclaimed
French playwright Pierre de Marivaux’ 

THE FALSE ADMISSIONS.

     The Boulevard Theatre seeks actresses for its upcoming (February 15, 2012 through March 18th, 2012) modern all-female staging of acclaimed French playwright Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux’ tender tale of seduction appropriately entitled  THE FALSE ADMISSIONS.

This Milwaukee premiere will be adapted and directed by Boulevard Artistic Director Mark Bucher and requires eight women.(from 20′s to mature).  The play tells the tale of an impoverished lover hoping to seduce a young, wealthy widow with the aid of her dubious servant.  The widow’s mother and other servants plot against the young lover while a lawsuit with an aristocratic nobleman/noblewoman further complicates the lover’s progress to woo, win and bed the young widow.

The production will be updated to modern times and will showcase same-sex (female) couplings.  This updating, casting reversals and same-sex concept allows Milwaukee’s under-served lesbian population to witness women loving women—perhaps wisely and perhaps not.  It also increases the potential employment of actresses in the Milwaukee community and also serves to stage a larger-cast production.  This last notation is of some import as more and more theatres stage solo and two-person shows to cut costs and the opportunity for new and returning artists decreases with this cultural “shift.”

Marivaux’ plotting and intricate, psychological characterizations are ideal for talented actresses who wish to portray women who are humorous, loving, lonely, trusting and all the shades of human behavior.  ADMISSIONS is typical of Marivaux’ unique tone of subtlety and a “Chekhovian” air–before Chekhov wrote his first play!  The piece is light yet hints at a depth of need and implies an astute understanding of the human heart.

Boulevard has proudly premiered two other Marivaux plays to Milwaukee and Wisconsin audiences, including THE DOUBLE INFIDELITY and THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE.  Both productions scored with audiences and critics alike and enjoyed sold-out houses.

Actresses wishing to audition for Boulevard’s modern adaptation of THE FALSE ADMISSIONS should contact Boulevard Artistic Director Mark Bucher at  marksaysthankyouforwaiting@gmail.com .  Please include a resume and head shot, if possible.

Please also communicate fully any and all conflicts with week night rehearsals and weekend rehearsals.  Actresses interested in participating in this exciting premiere should be have excellent memorization skills as well as an ability to communicate well.  Some improvisational skills are also an asset.

Please forward this onto other interested actresses and to members and representatives of Milwaukee’s LBGT community!

Thanks…..

Boulevard Theatre

Audience: graphic designers, photographers, self-employed creatives in general!

Presenters: still being arranged

Cost: minimal, at worst

Location: the MiKE space at Grand Avenue Mall

Your hosts: Troy Freund Photography and Jeff Ganger Design

My brother found this photo of my Grandpa Marvin and Grandma Valeria Arseneau. It has no date, no location written down. You can tell they’re young, strong, in love and just vibrant with those feelings. I love that my Grandma, whose name was “Valeria”, always went by “Larry.” They were in love when they were young, they were in love when they were old. We can all hope for such enduring affection.

(I made the “modern” portrait of them in 1996)

For gear-heads—ProFoto lights, Nikon D200, 60mm Macro “S” lens, Phase One Capture RAW processing software.

I have also included a few other portraits here–Grandpa Arseneau (2009), Grandma and Grandpa Arseneau (1996), Grandpa Freund (1996), and Loyal Villock (2009, Grandpa Arseneau’s buddy).

Take photos of the people who you care about. Even more importantly, TELL THEM that you care about them. Don’t ever let someone doubt what they mean to you.