Local Inspiration: Woodland Pattern Book Center

One of the best things about Milwaukee is our reliance on small business; of course we are a city with a large percentage of chain stores, however it's our little local gems that keep us unique.  Part of being an artist is staying cultured with what's going on locally and exploring your resources.  One great place to find some inspiration would be the Woodland Pattern Book Center located in Riverwest.

Locust Tank Mural (2005-2006)
Nicholas Lampert 

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Woodland Pattern is unique in every aspect of their organization; the vision is one part bookstore and one part performance center.  There is a gallery towards the back of the space.  The building has interesting nooks and crannies for patrons to explore.  Guests will find critically-acclaimed famous authors and local favorites as well.  Books can range from being published  in the fifties to 2012.  It is a wonderland that anyone visiting can get lost in.

According to their website, "Woodland Pattern Book Center was founded as a non-profit organization in Milwaukee, Wisconsin's Riverwest neighborhood by Anne Kingsbury and Karl Gartung in 1979. The name "Woodland Pattern" was chosen from a passage in Paul Metcalf's Apalache: "South of Lake Superior, a culture center, the Woodland Pattern, with pottery but without agriculture..." Thanks to the hard work and sustained effort of volunteers, Woodland Pattern became a nationally recognized cultural hub, and the staff (we are paid now!) is still working hard to uphold this vitality. 

The center houses a bookstore with over 25,000 small press titles otherwise unavailable in our area. Because we are nonprofit, our inventory decisions aren't dictated entirely by commercialism. As booksellers and as presenters of art and literature, we want people to know that there is more than what you see at your chain book store, more than you are taught in school, more than what is reviewed in the papers. We hope to act as a catalyst, putting readers together with small press literature. Come browse our selection of poetry, chapbooks, fine print materials, broadsides, and multicultural literature. We think you'll be impressed!

Our space also includes an art gallery where we present exhibitions, artist talks, readings, experimental films, concerts and writing workshops for adults and children."

On February 23, Woodland Pattern will be hosting an opening reception for the newest gallery installation Marsha McDonald: River Paintings and Mo Shui starting at 6 PM.  Make sure you check it out and let us know what you think of Woodland Pattern!