A potentially threatened Mid-century Edward Cathony has won a Public Art Award
At a ceremony at the MCHS, 910 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., on Wednesday evening, the award was presented by Janice and Stephen Marcus to “People Helping People” a ceramic tile mosaic mural completed in 1969-70 by Illinois-based designer and muralist Edward Cathony, who died in 2010.
The mural is affixed to a vacant building 803 W. Michigan St., which had been considered for demolition as part of the Iron District soccer stadium-based development. However, that development has made little visible progress in the past year or more. Thus, the future of the work – which is currently behind a chain-link fence – is unclear.
The colorful Mid-century Modern mural is made of TEGA ceramic tiles that were developed by Milwaukee’s Allen-Bradley Company.
The work was commissioned for the Milwaukee Insurance Company building, erected in 1927 but which underwent a major remodel in 1969, and its blend of abstract and figurative imagery combines themes of labor, unity and civic cooperation.
Edward C. Cathony was born in Chicago on Oct. 20, 1922 to Axel and Hattie Cathony.
A lifelong and career artist, Cathony served in World War II as a medic in Europe with the 3rd Army 71st Infantry.
In 1956, he married Harriet T. Swiderski.
Cathony was living in West Dundee, Illinois at the time of his passing at the age of 87.
The artist’s son John Cathony, and daughters Janice Ulbert and Ann Dufkis accepted the award on the late artist’s behalf,
“The mural’s message is one of cooperation and service,” said Dufkis. “Dad said Milwaukee was always good to him and his artwork, and that Milwaukee always welcomed him.
“It is our hope that the mural will continue to enhance Milwaukee’s landscape even as the building’s future remains uncertain. Dad would have been extremely proud to have been awarded this.”
Other works nominated for this year’s prize were “Reflection of Memories” by Richard Haas; “We Are the Power of Society” by Amelia Bader and “Birds of Knowledge of Good & Evil” by Magdalena Abakanowicz.
The works were judged by a jury that included Linda Marcus, John Riepenhoff and Jeffrey Morin.
“It was a discovery for me,” Riepenhoff said of Cathony’s work. “To nominate this piece is to remind Milwaukee of our history supporting innovative public art and supporting one another, and to draw attention to ‘People Helping People’ in the hope that it will inspire care and preservation for future generations.”
Morin added, “Public art sometimes needs the help of the public.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press. A fifth collects Urban Spelunking articles about breweries and maltsters.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has been heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
