On September 15th, 2023, Grove Gallery will be proud to show printmaker John Fleissner’s first solo exhibition, “DAYBREAK - Relief Prints and Broadsides.” Carved from linoleum blocks, Fleissner’s prints agitate for social revolution rooted in people’s everyday lives. The selection of 30 black and white prints, created from 2013 to the present, features images and hand-lettering of pro working-class messages with references to Milwaukee landmarks and historical events. Much of the work on display has been used by social movements as posters and on picket lines. Inspired by the graphic qualities of German Expressionist woodcuts and the Taller de Gráfica Popular, these prints give voice to working class organizing.

The run of the show will coincide with other major events in Milwaukee. On September 23rd, 2023, Grove Gallery will participate with the Lamers Building for Doors Open Milwaukee, a city-wide open house event. The Lamers Building, which includes Grove Gallery, Team Nerd Press and the private art studio of Celine Farrell, will celebrate its newly granted Historical Landmark status. One month later, on October 20th and 21st, DAYBREAK at Grove Gallery will be open for Milwaukee Gallery Night and Day. The show will be open to the public for the remaining Saturdays from 12-4 PM. We hope you’ll take the opportunity to view this exhibit.

John Fleissner is an Art Teacher at Milwaukee Public School’s (MPS) Alexander Hamilton High School and a member of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association (MTEA) Executive Board. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Printmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art and his K-12 Certification in Art Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Voces de La Frontera, the National Education Association, MTEA and the Black Rose Anarchist Federation have featured his artwork in their public campaigns. His murals can be seen at Milwaukee Area Technical College and at MPS’s North Division High School. His prints are featured in the Voces de La Frontera Historical Boxset which has been collected in the libraries of Yale University, UC-Berkeley and Stanford University.

OPENING: Friday, September 15, 2023, 5-9 PM
FEATURED: with Lamers Building for Doors Open Milwaukee
Saturday, September 23, 2023, 10 AM - 5 PM
CLOSING: GALLERY DAY & NIGHT:
Friday, October 20, 2023, 5-9 PM
Saturday, October 21, 2023, 12-5 PM

For More Information: johnfleissner.com
On Instagram: @johnfleissner
Gallery Hours: Open Saturdays during the run of the show, 12-4 PM
Press Contact and Other Inquiries:
Adam Beadel, adam@teamnerdpress.com