MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee's Cream City Garden and Gallery is hosting a special Gallery Night exhibit called "Battle of the Curated Creatures," honoring the late artist Terry Scheve while sparking a conversation about the limits of artificial intelligence in creative work.
TMJ4 learned about Gallery Night through a partnership with Imagine MKE, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting local artists and the unique spaces they work in.
Scott Patrick, who co-owns the gallery with his wife Noreena Scheve, said the exhibit came together as a tribute after a personal loss.
"The artist is my brother-in-law. Unfortunately, he passed a month and a half ago, and we wanted to showcase his artwork that he created over the past several years. And we thought, what better way to honor his memory is to do what we do, which is open up our space to artists, and so we hung his work instead of anyone else, and are honoring him," Patrick said.
Watch: Cream City Gallery honors late artist's work with AI-themed exhibit for Gallery Night
Terry Scheve's friends gathered at the gallery for the opening, where his whimsical creature-inspired artwork is displayed alongside AI-generated images — a deliberate juxtaposition meant to highlight the difference between human creativity and machine output.
Noreena Scheve, Terry Scheve's sister and co-owner of Cream City Garden and Gallery, said her brother's work carries a message that feels especially relevant in the age of AI.
"He wanted people to have a sense of whimsy and wonder, and never lose that. And so these creatures inspire curiosity, possibility, absurdity, but they are entertainment as well, and they do have a good message to them. Hold on to your imagination and use it," Scheve said.
Scheve also pushed back on the idea that AI can replicate what human artists do.
"The more I've thought about AI, it lacks inspiration. You need to have a creative spark, and that is something that AI, by its very quote, 'nature,' doesn't do. It mimics. It has input from people of what to think or say or do, and it's more systematic in refining its logic and its task. And when you're a creative person, you're an artist. You go down the rabbit hole," Scheve said.
She acknowledged AI does have its uses, noting it can help people visualize ideas — but only when a human provides the imaginative spark first.
"AI has benefits. It allows us to utilize our imagination, but we have to spark that imagination. AI doesn't spark its own imagination," Scheve said.
Beyond the exhibit, Cream City Garden and Gallery is itself something of a hidden gem. What began as a private home garden evolved into an event venue after Patrick, a photographer, and his wife began hosting small outdoor weddings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This was originally just our home, and we wanted a little garden oasis in the city, but when COVID hit and people needed places to get married, I, as a photographer, and worked with my wife who got ordained, we decided let's take weddings in the garden and let people enjoy the outdoors where they could be safe, and I could take some photos for them, and they could have a nice little wedding," Patrick said.
The space now hosts private events for up to 50 people, both inside the gallery and in the outdoor garden, which also features honeybees and chickens.
"They can be inside the gallery, but also out here in the garden; they can enjoy our chickens. I also raise honeybees, and then we just have nice places to sit and relax, enjoy the flowers," Patrick said.
The gallery is open Friday and Saturday as part of Gallery Night Milwaukee.
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