Winter Blooms Colorfully at Milwaukee Museum of Art

Even as winter’s grip lingers and many of us await spring’s warmth, vibrant signs of life are emerging at the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM). Over in Windover Hall, DRIFT’s latest installation, Meadow, transforms the atrium of the iconic Santiago Calatrava-designed Quadracci Pavilion into a kinetic garden that defies the season. The studio, founded by Dutch artists Lonneke Gordon and Ralph Nauta, is renowned for its innovative fusion of art and technology. Meadow is a continuation of their exploration, drawing inspiration from both North American wildflowers and the museum’s organic architecture. This ever-changing, immersive dance of light and motion celebrates the intersection of art and nature amid the winter chill.

Meadow is the second iteration of the MAM’s seasonal Winter Series, which started in 2024 in an effort to bring a spot of joy during the shortest days of the year. In creating Meadow, DRIFT drew on years of research to develop a choreography of kinetic blooms crafted from aluminum, stainless steel, robotic components, and vibrant fabric shades. Each flower is meticulously programmed to open and close in a rhythmic dance that mimics the delicate workings of nature. Unlike other similar installations by DRIFT, Meadow is site-specific in its number of flowers, choreography, and colors, which are inspired by North American wildflowers.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Milwaukee Art Museum (@milwaukeeart)

The installation’s experience will also evolve each day with the changing canvas outside. As the lakefront landscape transforms with the seasons, each visit offers a new dialogue between nature and art. The Burke Brise Soleil – Windhover Hall’s moveable sunscreen – also flaps its wings every day at noon, altering the natural light and casting dynamic shadows across Meadow. This interplay of shifting vistas and light patterns deepens the immersive quality of the installation, ensuring that no two visits are ever the same.

Now through April 13, 2025, Meadow invites visitors to rediscover the beauty of transformation. The installation will leave all who enter Windhover Hall mesmerized when they experience the magic that blooms when design, nature, and technology converge.

Meadow is on view at the Milwaukee Art Museum until April 13, 2025 and open to all with free admission. To learn more, visit mam.org.

Photography by Front Room Studios, courtesy of the Milwaukee Art Museum.