Seth Ter Haar
Seth Ter Haar is an artist,
curator, and FisherOfMen,
based in Milwaukee, WI.
Mothers of Milwaukee Modernism:
Building The Layton School of Art
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
at Milwaukee Central Library
Charlotte Partridge and Miriam Frink—pioneering educators, designers, and LGBTQ+ life partners—transformed Milwaukee’s cultural landscape through the Layton School of Art, which they founded in 1921. While often compared to the Bauhaus, Layton developed independently yet in parallel, advancing a radical new model of art education that integrated artistic expression with design and industry.
These themes framed Docomomo Wisconsin’s From the Archives Lecture Series held on April 22 in partnership with AIA, the Milwaukee Public Library, the Wisconsin Architectural Archive, and UWM Special Collections & Archives. A pop-up exhibition preceded the lecture, which drew on rare archival materials to examine Layton’s 1951 move to a modern lakefront campus and the founders’ broader advocacy for women, artists, and public culture. The program highlighted how Partridge and Frink’s vision shaped Milwaukee’s civic identity and influenced generations of artists and designers, with a legacy that continues through MIAD, Layton’s successor.
"A Documentation Student Award is given to Docomomo US/Wisconsin Fellow, Seth Ter Haar, LGBTQ+ scholar, artist, and curator, for advancing documentation and interpretation of Milwaukee’s modernist heritage through two innovative projects. The Mothers of Milwaukee Modernism: Building the Layton School of Art, reconstructed the lost 1950 campus of the Layton School, designed by Jack Waldheim for founders and life partners Charlotte Partridge and Miriam Frink. Through archival research, oral histories, and public exhibitions, the project reframed Layton as a pioneering site of Bauhaus-inspired, educational modernism. The exhibition and lecture series have appeared at Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, Milwaukee Pride, and soon PBS Wisconsin." –Docomomo US (Modernism in America Awards 2025)
Credits:
Project Team: Seth Ter Haar, Docomomo US/Wisconsin Fellow (Lead Researcher, Writer, and Lecturer); Eric Vogel, President, Docomomo US/Wisconsin (Research & Editorial Support); Scott Templeton, Designer (Layout & Production)
Collaborators:
Wisconsin Architectural Archives, Milwaukee Public Library, Docomomo Wisconsin, Wisconsin AIA, UWM Libraries, Frederick Avenue Gallery
