And So It Goes…
…said Kurt Vonnegut. A simplistic way to convey closure, to throw your hands up in the air and surrender, to explain the inexplicable. And so I go, back to my life pre-Pfister, after six months of exploring, discovering, conversing, photographing, writing, and blogging. There is no simple way to…
Dancing With the Stars
It’s the one sport that caters to people ages 3-93. And, it has the elegance, grace and pizzazz of a Hollywood movie premier. The Wisconsin State Dancesport Championships was back at the Pfister Hotel for its 26th year of professional/amateur ballroom dance competition last weekend.
Dan and…
Artists Among Us
The Pfister is well known for its Victorian Art collection and for supporting the arts in Milwaukee, but did you know how many amazing artists they have on staff? One of the best parts about working here has been meeting and hearing the stories about the incredibly and diversely talented…
Serving and Protecting By Day and By Night
Everyone has a very different version of a hero. They come in all shapes and sizes, and their acts even go unnoticed at times. Mike Nichols, a Pfister associate, working in loss and prevention (a.k.a security) fulfills his need to serve and protect not only at the Pfister…
Sunday at the Spa
What’s a better gift than comfort and relaxation? I’d argue that there’s none. While some people see it as a luxury, others enjoy massage therapy as a part of their regular health and wellness routine – lucky people indeed. The waiting room at the Well Spa one Sunday…
Blu-tending on Behalf of the Arts
Tina Chang is a young philanthropic leader, CEO, board president, arts patron, and more. One thing she is not – a bartender. But, tonight she is playing the role at Blu to raise money for United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) and the Skylight Music Theatre.
“We have a friendly competition going…
Carla and Tommy
“I made a song!” she declared with a Christmas-morning smile. Dan invited her over to the piano in the lobby to play a few notes. “He knows that Jeff always plays ‘Summertime’ for me, because that’s the song my mother used to sing to me when I was…
Pfister Files: Rosemary Steinfest
Over the next few months, I will be dusting off pages from the Pfister’s history books and sharing bits of the Pfister’s prolific history. This is the second post in this series.
Rosemary Steinfest is a bona fide rock star. She was the first and still, the only…
#PrintMKE at The Pfister Hotel
The Pfister, along with the rest of Milwaukee, is exited to welcome the attendees of Print: MKE 2013. What’s even more exciting, is that this year, Timothy and his friend and fellow artist, Erin Close are participating in their own off campus exhibit, titled Hurry Or Your Ears Won…
Brothers Reunite
All nine of them were huddling around the wide velvet couches like a football team reviewing the game-winning play. Then, they broke up to line up like soldiers in front of the fireplace and posed for a picture. One slight problem, the gentleman who volunteered to take the picture…
Lindsay the Magnificent Bride
“We were staying at the Pfister when it happened.” That phrase could apply to a million different situations. Lindsay was at the Pfister for the Magnificent Bride show earlier this month, where I captured her story.
Shaun and Lindsay met at UW-Milwaukee. He – a studious PhD candidate in psychology…
Inspirational Women, Inspiring Change
No matter who you are or where you came from, you probably had some help along the way. At the Women Inspired to Lead event last week at the Pfister, I spoke to several role models of all ages who’ve enjoyed the support of strong women to help them…
The Art of Storytelling with Ex Fabula
No professionals needed – just enthusiastic amateurs. That’s my kind of club. ExFabula has been organizing live storytelling events in Milwaukee since 2009. Founding member Megan McGee takes pride in helping people discover that they have a story to tell and showing them how to do it. There is only…
Long-Lost Sisters
Though we weren’t able to meet face-to-face during her stay, Simone Ingram shared her story with me via email. Here is her incredible story, in her own words…
One day, I logged onto Facebook and had a message in my inbox asking if I had a dad…
A Lesson in Networking
“I feel like I am stepping on to the Titanic,” said Carlos. “It’s so nice!” But rather than feeling like a fish out of water, as most first-generation college students might feel at a networking event at the Pfister Hotel, he embraced it.
Myladys Montanez, Clara Madrigal and…
Stephanie Barenz Named as the Fifth Pfister Artist-in-Residence
The Pfister is thrilled to announce that we’ve named Stephanie Barenz as the fifth Pfister Artist-in-Residence. Stephanie will begin her residency on April 1st after our current and fourth Artist, Timothy Westbrook ends his. Stephanie was chosen by the Pfister’s selection committee made up of community…
Baring it All
As an artist, putting your work out there can be as scary as standing on stage naked in front of a crowded auditorium. After all, as a writer, most of my work is done in private and a great deal of it formulates quietly in my own head. Luckily, there…
Pfister Files: 120 Years
Over the next few months, I will be dusting off pages from the Pfister’s history books and sharing bits of the Pfister’s prolific history. This is the second post in this series.
A lot can happen in 20 years. Nipping at the heels of the 120th anniversary of…
Love is in the Air
Although it’s still one week from Valentine’s Day, there is love in air at the Pfister Hotel tonight. Romantic love, Milwaukee love, Latin music love.
“Guajira,” scrape, boom, swoosh, “Guajira,” scrape, boom, swoosh…It’s the type of sound that crawls under your skin and tickles until you…
Pints, Pointes and Pfister Narrator
There are certain perks to being the Pfister Narrator and having the opportunity to interview Milwaukee Ballet Company dancers is one of them. Last week, I attended a rehearsal at the Milwaukee Ballet to learn about the upcoming Genesis performance and international choreography competition. This competition only comes around every…
The Crystal Narrator
Do you ever wonder if walls could really talk? Or if paintings, sculptures and chandeliers could too? These are the questions I ponder, as the Pfister Hotel’s narrator charged with excavating the memories and experiences of guests past and present that are steeping in every wall, carpet and object…
Jay and John
There are two types of people in this world: those who hate being in the spotlight and those who love it. I am usually able to tell the difference within about two minutes of telling people that I am the hotel’s staffer dedicated to writing about guests.
“Oh I…
Winter Fashion, Westbrook Style
Since starting his residency, Timothy Westbrook has had Milwaukee talking. At 23, he’s the youngest of the Pfister’s artists in residence, the first artist from out of state (Timothy hails from Wanakena, New York), and the first fiber artist (all other artists were painters).
On Friday, January 18th…
Fred Pfister: Part 2 of 2
“My grandmother used to save this stuff and my mother was a saver too. Now that I am all alone in the house, rather than just throw it away, I wanted a way to preserve it,” Fred Pfister said about the beautiful handmade clothing his grandmother created. We couldn’t…
2013 Artist in Residence Finalist – Tonia Klein
Tonia Klein – Milwaukee, WI
Proposal: The facet of the Pfister Artist in Residence program that I have enjoyed int he last four cycles is that each artist in residence has had an entirely different artistic perspective. My work is highly narrative, and typically involves some sort of fairy tale…
