Please visit www.exfabula.org!

In case you’ve been visiting this site since 2014, wondering when we would post again, never fear! You can visit www.exfabula.org to see all the latest news and events.

See you over there!

Photos from Secret Fabula

Hi everyone. It’s Megan, your humble Executive Director. Now, after events we frequently share a recap with you with some details about the stories that were told. However, that seems a bit odd for an event called Secret Fabula – so instead I’ll post a bunch of great photos. The rest… will remain a secret 🙂

All photos by Elizabeth Dawson

 

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Secret Fabula storytellers Adam Carr and Sarah Gail Luther

Secret Fabula Artist Profile: Adam Carr

Adam telling a story at Ex Fabula; photo by Art Montes

Storyteller, neighborhood enthusiast and radio producer Adam Carr is never one to shy away from a good story. Adam has found himself behind the mic at an Ex Fabula storyslam or two and more recently at NEWaukee’s Night Market sharing a tale of a “Lonely Thief”.

photo by Adam Carr

A proud product of the MPS school; system, Adam’s works include two collaborations with Pitch Project artist Sonja Thomsen:  Listening to Mitchell, a collaborative public art project based on the history of Mitchell Street  and here, mothers are, a site-specific collaboration with residents of the Armani Neighborhood. He is also the creator of Milwaukier Than Thou, an on-going photography project documenting the fair city that is Milwaukee

 

 

 

 

Secret Fabula Artist Profile: Sarah Gail Luther

Sarah Luther in her studio, photo by Jessica Steeber

Local artist Sarah Gail Luther once described her work as “calling attention to the many levels of control, creation, and deterioration, projected photographs and drawings” and illustrating “the ever colliding relationship between naturally occurring things and the man made world.” A recipient of the Mary L. Nohl Fund Fellowships for Individual Artists award, her portfolio includes The Amplifier, a pop-up community center in the Silver City neighborhood, a residency with MKE<->LAX.

from her BFA show

Sarah has given lectures on public art and performance at UWM and the Chicago Art Institute, and been featured in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Urban Milwaukee.com. Her work has been exhibited at UWM, the Transformer Gallery (Washington DC), MIAD the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) and the Dolphin Gallery (Kansas City)

 

 

 

Secret Fabula storytellers Tyanna Buie and Hayley Eichenbaum

This Sunday, 5 Milwaukee creatives will take the stage at Secret Fabula to share their stories on the theme of “Creating”. In the previous blog, we introduced Mike Brenner; now we’ll meet two more artists. We’ll introduce the last 2 artists in the next blog!

 

Secret Fabula-The Pitch Project Artist Profile: Tyanna J Buie

Tyanna J Buie is a local artist and lecturer at Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). She is a Chicago native, whose work reflects the disarray of her youth. In 2012 she won the Mary L. Nohl Fund Fellowships for Individual Artists award, making her the first African American female  to receive such an important award/recognition.

Click here to visit Tyanna’s website and see her portfolio!

A graduate of Western Illinois University, (B.A) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (MFA, 2010), Tyanna’s work has been exhibited in a variety of venues, including The Contemporary Invitational Print and Drawing exhibition (University of Hawaii-Hilo), the Northwestern University Dittmar Gallery ,the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMOCA). Tyanna has been a guest lecturer across the country and still participates in the occasional artist residence.

Her Still Lives exhibition can be viewed thru November 2^nd at the Museum of Wisconsin Art-One Gallery located in West Bend.

 

Secret Fabula-The Pitch Project Artist Profile: Hayley Eichenbaum

Still from Project Pilot. Click to visit her site.

Hayley Eichenbaum is the creator of Project Pilot, Have a Secret? So do I and Climax Drawings. A graduate of San Francisco Art Institute and MIAD, her works have been displayed at MAM After Dark and the Frederick Layton Gallery, MIAD.

Blue Moon: Experiments in electromagnetic levitation.

Hayley has been featured in the Shepherd Express, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and ArtBabble.com. Her artistic vision is to create situations that challenge the social and moral ideals of female identity. Hayley accomplishes this via live performance, design, solo works and engineering, all while incorporating scientific methods and viewpoints.

 

 

 

Full details for this members-only event are on the Ex Fabula website.
Not yet a member? You can sign up online as well and enjoy benefits all season long.

Secret Fabula storyteller Mike Brenner

This Sunday, 5 Milwaukee creatives will take the stage at Secret Fabula to share their stories on the theme of “Creating”. This profile introduces the first artist – and perhaps the most obvious choice for this event.  

Mike Brenner is a local Master Brewer, writer, designer and self proclaimed arts instigator. Over the past years, he has owned and operated a gallery, co-founded MARN, and more recently started the Brenner Brewing Co., located in Walker’s Point. The brewery will offer tours and is equipped with a tasting room. Mike is also co-founder of The Pitch Project, an art gallery and artist studios, also located in Walker’s Point.

photo credit: Brenner Brewing Company

Mike is a longtime supporter of the local music and arts scene and has even graced the stage with his presence at an Ex Fabula’s StorySlam in January 2010; his story centered on the time he sang Prince’s Purple Rain at a beer tasting – and got escorted out by the police. Hopefully that won’t happen at Secret Fabula – but with Mike, you never know! So, you clearly don’t want to miss Mike’s story at Secret Fabula.

Full details for this members-only event are on the Ex Fabula website.
Not yet a member? You can sign up online as well and enjoy benefits all season long.

We hope to see you there!

Ex Fabula Radio: an interview with Leah Delaney

By ExFabula blogger Kimberly M Ousley

Summer is almost over and a new (Ex Fabula) season is fast approaching! Get your nose out of those books and smart phones and experience the magic of story time anew.

Did you know that Ex Fabula has a radio show? Leah Delaney fills us in on the partnership between Ex Fabula & WUWM, the upcoming sixth  season and how you can stay connected with Ex Fabula.

KMO: What is your role with Ex Fabula?

LD: I am a co-founder, vice-president of the Board, emcee and radio host.

KMO: Where do you see Ex Fabula in 5 years?

LD: In the next five years, Ex Fabula will have infiltrated so many more communities in Milwaukee and hopefully become a household name.

KMO: In your opinion, what are the key components to a great story?

LD: Aside from the bare-bones of having a great first line, a moment of reflection and a great ending, the best stories are the most honest ones. There’s a fine line of making sure that your story has structure but not so structured that it starts sounding…..structured and produced. Some of the best stories I have ever seen are people who get lost for a second or stutter on an emotion.

KMO: Have you ever shared a story?

LD: Yes! A couple times. One of which was the story I told about being a tour-guide on the Milwaukee Ducks, the day the duck sank in Lake Michigan.

KMO: How did it go?

LD: I thought, “it’s a great story but it needs to be funnier.” There are many ways to prepare oneself to tell a story but when you write out one-liners in the story and regurgitate them verbatim, it’s just not going to go as planned. I learned the hard way. The story is great. I should’ve just let it tell itself.

KMO: So, Ex Fabula started doing weekly radio segments on WUWM. How did that come about?

LD: WUWM 89.7 and Ex Fabula have been working together to air Ex Fabula stories off and on for a few years. Earlier this summer, Bruce Winter and I contacted each other, almost at the same time, and we both were hoping to air stories more regularly. Bruce had a new program, WUWM@Nite, which airs 9pm to 12am during the week, so it was the perfect fit for Ex Fabula. We now co-host Ex Fabula Radio, which allows us to feature a few Milwaukee stories each week.

KMO: When can people catch the shows?

LD: Tune in to WUWM 89.7 every Wednesday at 9pm. If you miss a show or want to hear it again, you can stream previous radio segments from http://wuwm.com/people/ex-fabula.

KMO: What can you tell me about the upcoming season?

LD: Sixth Season!! We have an exciting season filled with more story slams, different themes, new and improved membership benefits and workshops. You might have *that* story and never had *that* theme to tell it at. This is your chance.

KMO: How can someone learn more about and get involved with Ex Fabula?

LD: You mean besides the mind-altering radio show that Bruce Winter and I co-host? Why, through the Information Superhighway, of course! Go to exfabula.com, find us on facebook and twitter, and definitely definitely sign up for our newsletter.

KMO: UltraShort time. Theme: Summer. Go!

LD: Summer evening in 8th grade. Hanging out in Sheridan Park on the swings. Holding hands with Benji and feeling electricity for the first time.

August and September events

by Ex Fabula blogger Tasha Paradies

Secret Fabula on the patio

Come and have a seat at an exclusive and intimate Secret Fabula held on the patio of The Pitch Project (art gallery and artist studios) and Brenner Brewing Company on Sunday, August 24, 2014 from 5 to 7 pm. While enjoying a complimentary drink and snacks on the patio, you’ll hear others relate their personal experiences of creating, and maybe share a story about your own creative process!

Tickets are available for members only, so it’s a great time to purchase or renew your membership in time for the event. A membership also gets you many other great perks for Season 6, including free or discounted admission to our September 18th kickoff event and more. By becoming an Ex Fabula member, your support helps strengthen our community by giving Milwaukeeans the opportunity to meaningfully connect through the art of storytelling. Secret Fabula tickets are available for members here, but if you’re not yet a member you can purchase a membership here.

This Secret Fabula will be a treat that offers insights into creative life that you can only hear on the patio at the ultra-hip The Pitch Project and the Brenner Brewing Company. Don’t miss it!

Season 6 Kickoff Fundraiser

Story fans, you know that there are many great ways to kick things off. We like to begin the new Ex Fabula season the best way: with a party! Join us for our Season 6 Kickoff Fundraiser on the patio of Hot Water Wherehouse located at 818 S. Water Street on Thursday, September 18, 2014 from 6 to 9 pm for an evening of food, drinks, and “classic” Ex Fabula stories!

Guests will enjoy a cocktail hour and hors d’oeurves while perusing the silent auction which features prizes from classic Milwaukee organizations and businesses. Throughout the evening, storytellers will take the stage to share “Ex Fabula Classics”, four of our favorite true, personal stories from the past years events, retold in an intimate setting. Guests can also submit Ultra Shorts to be read onstage. In between stories, a DJ will provide the soundtrack to the evening.

Tickets are available for $20; all proceeds will help expand programming, which includes workshops, story slams and community collaborations, all which allow the people living in the city of Milwaukee to be engaged in a wider circle of community through participating in storytelling, a way connecting that enriches the lives of all included.

And we would love for you to be included when we kick off the sixth season! Hope to see you on the patio!

Vote for your favorite StorySlam themes!

by guest blogger and Executive Director Megan McGee

Ex Fabula volunteers have been hard at work crafting the schedule for Season 6… but we want your help to finalize some event themes! We’ve put together a poll with 8 options and the votes are coming in quickly. After 52 votes, Oops! is in the lead with 18% of the vote, followed by Do The Math and Who Knew? at 15% each, but there are other themes that are not that far behind.

CLICK HERE and scroll down to the green poll to view the themes in contention and cast your vote for up to 3 favorites. Act quickly – the poll closes this Thursday July 31 at midnight. Once the votes are tallied, the ideas that receive the most voter love will be included as Season 6 StorySlam themes!

PS: while you’re on the website, take a look around. I’ve been adding lots of content recently, including details about a late August Secret Fabula event and our upcoming Season 6 Kickoff Fundraiser on Thursday September 18. We’re also working on Sponsors for Season 6, so please let me know if you know a business that would like to support Ex Fabula’s efforts to strengthen community bonds through the art of storytelling.

Mea Fabula Profile: Andy Nunemaker & The Vogel Mansion

 

The Vogel Mansion, also known as Greengate, has been host to several local fundraising events and tonight welcomes Ex Fabula’s Mea Fabula. This breathtakingly stunning residence, built in 1904, boasts a pool, a gym, a coach house, a fully operational Schlitz bar, ample parking, plenty of bedrooms & bathrooms and a stunning kitchen. The mansion has had some updates since originally constructed and is currently on the market.

Local entrepreneur and avid art collector Andy Nunemaker is the Mansion’s current owner. He serves as CEO and is the co-founder of Dynamis Corporation. Mr. Nunemaker’s art collection includes works from Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Alexander Calder as well as local artists. The variety and beauty of the pieces collected, in a wide range of artistic mediums, is a sight to behold. Mr. Nunemaker, his art collection and the mansion have been featured on www.jsonline.com, www.urbanmilwaukee.com and www.buildmke.org .

 

 

Want to see the mansion and the art collection up close & personal? Tickets will be available at the door for $40, so join your fellow Milwaukeeans and peruse Mr. Nunemaker’s art collection while enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Watch as your true, personal story is transformed into a unique theatrical piece, a song, a poem or a painting courtesy of a local Milwaukee artist. Your purchase helps Ex Fabula expand its programming, which includes workshops, StorySlams and community collaborations, giving more Milwaukeeans the chance to be heard, thus building community and strengthening our city.

 

All photos credited to REALTOR.com           

 

Mea Fabula is proudly sponsored by:

 

 

 

 

Mea Fabula Artist Profile: Tia Chianti Richardson

Do you have story that transcends words? Ever been the unwilling victim of a caricature portrait? Tia Chianti Richardson, a community-integrated artist based in Milwaukee, can solve both of those problems. She is a portrait artist, muralist, graphic designer and educator. Tia will live paint your true, personal story into what will no doubt be a beautiful and personal memento or gift.

Tia specializes in using group talking circles to support a space of generous listening to each other’s personal & collective stories. She then embodies the stories in the form of a mural. In her personal work, she uses oil and acrylic to create paintings about nature, Goddess and humanity. Tia is also a live painter for Playback Milwaukee Theatre Company, which uses a form of improv where audience members tell a true life story. They then watch as it’s played back on the spot using a mix of music, improv movement, spoken word and visual art. To view some of Tia’s creative works, visit her website, www.cosmic-butterfly.com. You can also check her out at https://www.facebook.com/PlaybackMilwaukee.

You’d like a piece of yourself forever immortalized in time don’t you? In order to have your own joy of painting experience visit http://meafabula.brownpapertickets.com to purchase your ticket for Mea Fabula today! Tickets are only $40! Your purchase & support helps Ex Fabula expand its programming, which includes workshops, StorySlams and community collaborations, giving more Milwaukeeans the chance to be heard, thus building community and strengthening our city.

Mea Fabula is proudly sponsored by: