- Angela Fitzgerald: Phoenix S. Brown is a curator,
helping other people share their story through art.
- Phoenix S. Brown: As curator, my responsibility
is to program the gallery spaces.
I coordinate artists, I develop exhibitions,
I help run creative programming
in response to the art that's on the wall.
Very powerful piece by...
- Angela: Phoenix works in this space, Gallery 507,
at the Bronzeville Center for the Arts.
- This organization was started by artists,
which is really exciting.
I'm also an artist,
so I love learning about how artists make their work.
- Angela: This artistic hub,
located on Milwaukee's north side,
is rooted in art, culture, and African-American history.
- Phoenix: Bronzeville is a cultural overlay
of, like, a few neighborhoods here in Milwaukee.
Black residents have been here since the early 19th century,
so the neighborhood is really known
for Black cultural production.
- Angela: In addition to her work
in the Bronzeville neighborhood, Phoenix has curated work
in some of Milwaukee's most prestigious mansions.
- Phoenix: At the turn of the 20th century,
this was considered the Gold Coast.
There was a lot of wealthy families building mansions
along this corridor.
This home was the homestead
of Sarah Ball Allis and Charles Allis.
They were industrialists,
and Charles Allis was the president of Allis Chalmers.
- Angela: The Allis mansion
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
As curator, Phoenix would find contemporary artists
searching for a temporary place to showcase their work.
- The room that we're in right now is called the French parlor.
On this wall, we have a lot of French oil paintings
that are, like, beautifully framed.
Everything is original to the collection.
And then also in the space, we juxtapose contemporary art
next to, like, the historic works.
- I'll just hand you one, and then I'll take the other one.
- Phoenix: And our previous exhibitions
have kind of responded to, like, people who identify
as LGBTQIA here in the community and people of color,
so thinking about critical issues of identity
and hierarchies of power and feminism.
- Angela: When Sarah Allis passed away,
she had one last wish for her art collection
and this Tudor-style home.
- Phoenix: In the will, she dictated that
whoever runs the home
must inspire, delight, and educate with the collections.
- Angela: For three years, Phoenix was that person
honoring Sarah's wish.
- Phoenix: This place is special.
It's like a gem of historic relevance
that I think people often overlook,
and it holds a lot of Milwaukee history.
- Angela: At the same time
Phoenix was overseeing the art collection at the Allis,
she was helping reclaim another piece of Milwaukee's past
a short walk away at Villa Terrace.
- Phoenix: It was the original home to Lloyd and Agnes Smith
of the A. O. Smith Company.
Villa Terrace was constructed in 1924.
The inspiration for the villa came
when the family went to Italy.
It kind of appears as though
that you may be on the Mediterranean Sea.
- Angela: Preserving the vestiges of power and privilege
was not lost on Phoenix as she curated the mansions.
These are two homes that were owned by white people.
So, like, finding ways to make those accessible
to our largest populations here is really important.
Welcoming communities in
that may have never felt welcomed before
'cause it is intimidating.
You don't really know what's possible for yourself
unless you see someone that looks like you
doing the same thing.
And luckily in my life, I've had people who are people of color
in these sorts of positions.
- Angela: Every place Phoenix works,
representation and access are at the center of her mission.
- Phoenix: They are the first two Black men
to be on a baseball team and be brothers.
This is important to me
'cause it feels like I am giving a platform to people
that haven't had it in the past.
And sometimes, it's best for people of color
to tell their own stories, you know?
That's, like, a privilege that we don't always get
in this sort of sphere.
I think it just really emphasizes the impact
that he's had on the Negro League baseball league
here in America.
And I think it's important to keep telling these stories
and hold these stories so Milwaukeeans in the future
are able to learn about where we came from as a city.
- Angela: The art sphere Phoenix creates
is welcoming for all of Milwaukee,
whether that is at a mansion museum
or in the heart of Bronzeville.
[Phoenix chuckles] - I love curatorial.
Curatorial is amazing,
and it's a privilege to be in these roles.
And I just love working with artists.
It brings me joy.
But then also, it's kind of like,
people just doing really cool stuff. [laughs]
[bright music]