Daniel Minter's 'Thresholds' at Haggerty Museum Explores Spirituality Through Carved Wood and Community Brooms

At Marquette University's Haggerty Museum of Art in Milwaukee, you can check out Daniel Minter's solo show, 'Thresholds,' until December 19. This exhibit features a unique installation of hand brooms made during a workshop at Lynden Sculpture Garden in July, plus colorful sculptures with intricate portraits and patterns. Minter, who grew up in Georgia during the Jim Crow era and has lived in Portland, Maine, for over twenty years, won the Caldecott Medal for his work on 'Going Down Home with Daddy.' He pairs his sculptures with pieces from the museum’s collection, like African masks, which he views as meaningful tools of communication. The gallery's walls are color-coded to represent different elements, and a standout sculpture in the middle symbolizes hope. In his essay for the exhibit, Minter discusses how carving connects us to our ancestors, emphasizing that objects should remind us of our spirituality.