Ooo! Lights!

We’ve reached whatever the winter equivalent of the dog days of summer are called. When monitoring the forecast passes as a hobby and leaving the house requires a reason ranging from very good to essential for survival.

Somewhere to the left of that scale is the Milwaukee Art Museum’s new light display. The Quadracci Pavilion recently installed an LED system that adds a new, colorful dimension to the Milwaukee skyline.

The Quadracci Pavilion has always been illuminated, but only with dull old static white lights. Now the lights change and move, making the Burke Brise Soleil “wings” even more visually appealing.

Thrills don’t get any cheaper.

The new lighting debuted during the holiday season and they were lit up nightly. Now, they save the shows for Thursday nights, where they’ll continue through spring.

Whether an LED light display qualifies as a good excuse to leave the comfort of the couch depends on individual tastes. However, if you’re on the fence, know that going to check them out could serve as a jumping-off point for an unexpected adventure in downtown Milwaukee. In movie terms, a trip to the museum can serve as a MacGuffin or an event that motivates the characters (in this case, you) into action. That’s when the actual story begins.

You can start by visiting the museum, which is open until 8 pm on Thursdays. Or, maybe use it as a reason to check out a restaurant you’ve been hearing about. Maybe it kicks off a de facto bar crawl through downtown. Or maybe it’s just an excuse to swing by the Drink Wisconsinbly Pub and try some of our Drink Wisconsinbly Brandy cocktails while asking yourself what possessed you to stand around in the cold looking at a bunch of lights.