MILWAUKEE, WIS.- Sculpture Milwaukee announced John Riepenhoff will serve as curator for the 2023 exhibition, which will open this summer and be on view through October 2024. Now in its seventh year, Sculpture Milwaukee is an annual outdoor exhibition of public sculpture in downtown Milwaukee. The organization serves as a catalyst for community engagement, economic development, and creative placemaking.

John Riepenhoff is an internationally renowned artist, curator, and gallerist who lives and works in Milwaukee.

“I'm thrilled to join the succession of artist-curators at Sculpture Milwaukee,” Riepenhoff said. “After watching the organization innovate exhibition-making and engage the local and international scenes over the past six years, I am honored to help continue to grow its legacy with a new cohort of contemporary artists and community.”




A complete list of artists and artworks from Sculpture Milwaukee’s 2023 exhibition will be released in Spring 2023.

“Bringing on board an influential artist, one who embraces the abstract conditions of time and attention underscores Sculpture Milwaukee's belief in artists, art, and the cultural issues shaping our time,” added Michelle Grabner, who is a member of the organization's board of directors and executive committee. “John's proven investment in localized communities and his experience in the contemporary art market will advance Sculpture Milwaukee's reach and distinguished reputation.”

In addition, Nature Doesn’t Know About Us, which was curated by Ugo Rondinone, is on view now through October 2023.

John Riepenhoff was born in 1982 in Milwaukee, Wis, where he still lives and works. Riepenhoff is co-owner of The Green Gallery in Milwaukee and runs The Open Fund and the Beer Endowment. He has also co-organized Milwaukee International and Dark Fairs, is an inventor of artistic platforms for the expression of others, and is a regular food ideator. His exhibitions and curatorial projects have been presented at Various Small Fires, Dallas (2023); Broadway, New York (2022); John Michael Kohler Art Preserve, Sheboygan, Wisconsin (2021); the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2017); The Suburban, Milwaukee (2007, 2008, 2017); Marlborough, New York (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017); Poor Farm, Wisconsin (2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016); Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN (2016); Nathalie Karg, New York (2015); Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta (2015); Inova, Milwaukee (2010, 2015); 356 Mission Rd, Los Angeles (2014); Crystal Bridges, Bentonville, Arkansas (2014); Lynden Sculpture Garden, Milwaukee (2011, 2013); Tate Modern, London (2010); Swiss Institute, New York (2008).

He also continues a program of the John Riepenhoff Experience at various locations around the world, including at Misako and Rosen, Tokyo, Night Gallery, Los Angeles; and Good Weather, Arkansas. He was the 2015 Milwaukee Arts Board Artist of the Year.