Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee fiber artist turns dive bar bathrooms into art

Published

3 days ago

December 31, 2024

Milwaukee fiber artist turns dive bar bathrooms into art

MILWAUKEE — I’ve done stories on tons of different artists—abstract painters, wood artists, musicians. You name it, I’ve done it. But one day, I was in the depths of the internet, and something caught my eye. I found a person who sews images of dive bar bathrooms, and I just had to learn more.

It started with the Roman Coin bathroom in Milwaukee. Then she did a Summerfest bathroom, Paddy’s Pub, High Dive, and a few others. The next thing Ella Clemons knew, her dive bar images were being featured at the Portrait Society Gallery in Milwaukee.

“I feel like everyone was kind of rocking with it here in Milwaukee,” Clemons, a fiber artist, said.

James Groh

High Dive’s bathroom made by Ella Clemons.

The 23-year-old, who is also a bartender, works out of a Bay View studio. It’s an old cream city brick building that has turned into artist’s workspaces.

“I couldn’t imagine myself doing a 9-to-5 or something like that. I just don’t think I’m built that way. I don’t know. I want to create,” she said.

It takes Clemons about 10 hours to sew a bathroom. She does commissions. Prices start around $200. That got me thinking – what bathroom would I want? I’m thinking of Hosed on Brady or the bathrooms at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan which are super artistic.

So you may be thinking: dive bar bathrooms? It’s a little strange. It’s a little dirty. But there’s a beauty in the mundane. Clemons is forcing us to look at something we’ve seen before but in a new way.

Ella Clemons works on a new dive bar bathroom design in her Bay View studio.

“I like people to see something and be like, ‘I definitely know what that is.’ And I think people think it’s kind of funny to see it in fabric form, and I like it too. And it brings—I don’t know—it brings a whimsy to it, I guess,” she said.

She also made a series on highway billboards—you know, personal injury lawyers, religious billboards, fireworks advertisements, and adult store signs. Clemons is inspired by, “mundane day-to-day things that I feel I want to create.”

Billboard Design — Ella Clemons’ billboard designs on display at the VAR Gallery in Milwaukee.

The UW-Milwaukee graduate has been featured in two galleries. She has a good idea for her next series too – sewing strange Facebook Marketplace listings. Beyond that, she has big dreams.

“I would love to make art full-time. That’s a huge goal of mine.”

That is why in 2025, you can find her at her studio sewing dive bar bathrooms, highway signs, Facebook Marketplace listings, or something else just as fun and weird.

“It’s something I could be happy doing, like, forever. I could keep doing it. There’s always going to be more stuff to create,” Clemons said.

To see more of her work or request a commission, send her a message on Instagram.

Watch Ella Clemons’ story here…

Milwaukee fiber artist turns dive bar bathrooms into art

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Milwaukee, WI

Portland faces Milwaukee, looks to stop road skid

Published

7 hours ago

January 3, 2025

Press Room

Portland faces Milwaukee, looks to stop road skid

Associated Press

Portland Trail Blazers (11-21, 13th in the Western Conference) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (17-15, fifth in the Eastern Conference)

Milwaukee; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Portland will attempt to end its seven-game road slide when the Trail Blazers face Milwaukee.

The Bucks are 11-6 in home games. Milwaukee has a 9-7 record in games decided by 10 points or more.

The Trail Blazers are 3-14 on the road. Portland has a 3-2 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Bucks are shooting 47.7% from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points lower than the 48.1% the Trail Blazers allow to opponents. The Trail Blazers are shooting 44.5% from the field, 0.7% lower than the 45.2% the Bucks’ opponents have shot this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 32.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, six assists and 1.5 blocks for the Bucks.

Jerami Grant is scoring 15.0 points per game and averaging 3.6 rebounds for the Trail Blazers.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bucks: 6-4, averaging 111.3 points, 43.2 rebounds, 26.1 assists, 9.0 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.2 points per game.

Trail Blazers: 3-6, averaging 110.8 points, 43.8 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 7.2 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.2 points.

INJURIES: Bucks: AJ Green: day to day (calk).

Trail Blazers: Matisse Thybulle: day to day (ankle), Jerami Grant: day to day (face).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Milwaukee, WI

NBA Live Discussion: Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks, 8:00 p.m. ET

Published

15 hours ago

January 3, 2025

Press Room

NBA Live Discussion: Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks, 8:00 p.m. ET

Right back to it. The Nets face off against the Milwaukee Bucks yet again, only this time they’ll be healthier than the last time these two played. The Nets suffered a 17-point loss to the lowly Raptors on Wednesday, thus it’s a second night of a back-to-back. Not to mention, it’s the final game on the New Years road trip. It’s difficult imagining these guys will be at full force with circumstances like that. We know how they work at this rate, specifically with players like Ben Simmons and even Cam Thomas.

For the tank commanders, the Nets are ranked No. 7 at 12-21. Still a little ways to go before they reach the bottom-three.

***

0-1 in 2025!

Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

Opponent: Milwaukee Bucks (17-14)

Tune In: YES Network | WFAN Radio

***

Game Preview | Brian Fleurantin

Injuries: No Bojan Bogdanovic, Trendon Watford, or Ziaire Williams. Cam Thomas missed yesterday’s game as part of injury management, but is expected back tonight. Ben Simmons played yesterday, so chances are he’ll miss this one. Noah Clowney took a hard fall last night and had to exit the game. We’ll see how he is today. The worst news, however, may be Maxwell Lewis. He left last night’s game with a knee injury. He will be undergoing an MRI sometime today and the team will be releasing an update. Hoping for the best.
BUCKS: Giannis Antetokounmpo (right patella tendinopathy) and Khris Middleton (recovery from ankle surgery) are both probable.
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The Game: He [DLo] gives the Nets another player who can get their own shot on offense, and that can help keep them close on nights they can’t make anything shake in transition. It will also be fun to see how he and Cam Thomas work as a backcourt tandem. CT is building himself back up from an extended injury absence, so managing his minutes and workload will be a fun subplot to the next week of Nets basketball.

***

Please be respectful with your comments. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee shooting: 14-year-old boy dead, man charged

Published

23 hours ago

January 2, 2025

Press Room

Milwaukee shooting: 14-year-old boy dead, man charged

article

MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man is criminally charged in a shooting that killed a 14-year-old boy on Saturday, Dec. 28.

Prosecutors said 19-year-old Rahshad Bates told police he was handling a gun when it went off, and he “accidentally shot his friend” while they

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The shooting happened near 21st and Concordia. Officers were called to the scene around 9:15 p.m.

A criminal complaint states a group of people was with the 14-year-old victim, and they flagged down officers when they arrived at the scene. Bates was with the group and was seen “pacing around inside, looking out the windows” of a home after first responders began tending to the victim.

Shooting at 21st and Concordia, Milwaukee

The medical examiner’s office said the victim, Bryant Triplett, died at a hospital.

Bates spoke to police at the scene. He said he and the victim were walking dogs in the alley when “some unknown person shot a gun at them for unknown reasons,” per the complaint. Later, Bates told a detective the same story – but eventually admitted he had a gun and “accidentally shot his friend.”

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Specifically, court filings said Bates had the gun tucked under his armpit and started to empty the gun. He had his finger on the trigger when he pulled the slide back, and the gun accidentally went off. He then, with help, carried the victim back to the house. He said he tossed the gun, but the weapon was not found.