Arts

35 pictures (which aren’t enough) of Milwaukee’s new otter and beaver mural

August 9, 2020

We'll keep this short and sweet: Milwaukee has a new mural, and there's an otter and a beaver and a belted kingfisher and some fish on it. It's located in the city's Harbor District, near Water and Bruce street...

New MOWA and Saint Kate exhibits celebrate Wisconsin’s legacy of underground “comix”

Tea Krulos

August 6, 2020

Back in 2003 I was taking a stab at underground comic production with an anthology of mostly local artists titled Riverwurst Comics, which ran six issues from 2003-2006. As I got started, I had the thrill of di...

Fruits and vegetables produce artistic opportunity for dwellephant

Tyler Maas

August 5, 2020

When we last checked in with dwellephant, the incomparable Milwaukee artist was telling us the motivation behind his series of coffee cup illustrations. In the approximately six months since that interview, dwe...

Local artists, activists oppose Shepard Fairey mural installation in Milwaukee

Matt Wild

August 3, 2020

UPDATE (8/3/20): Based on technical and historical considerations (and not on the mural's content or artist), the Historic Preservation Commission has denied a Certificate of Appropriateness for the Shepard Fai...

Lion’s Tooth: How to make it to the other side of 2020 while selling books in Milwaukee

Cris Siqueira

July 30, 2020

By Cris Siqueira and Shelly McClone-Carriere of Lion's ToothIn mid-March, just days after the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, we got a package in the mail filled with gorgeous handmade cards that said "Li...

Milwaukee creatives make statements with mandatory masks

Brent Gohde

July 29, 2020

Late in the 20th century, masks were mainstream. We went to theaters to find Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Ghostface, and even Jim Carrey relying on non-medical face coverings to function. Kenner even created ...

Artists being sought for 5-mural “Visual Vibes on Villard” project

Matt Wild

July 29, 2020

Murals! Do you like murals? Would you like to create a mural? Would you like to create a mural "celebrating community, culture, health and conservation" for a five-mural project called "Visual Vibes on Villard"...

21 new pandemic pieces on display at the Milwaukee Art Museum

Matt Wild

July 27, 2020

In case you missed it, the Milwaukee Art Museum reopened to the public on July 16. Free admission through August 16, a timed ticketing system, earlier opening hours for "high-risk visitors," and a designated fi...

Now Milwaukee music is playing with power in the delightfully retro ‘Space Raft: The Game’

Matt Wild

July 22, 2020

To hear Jordan Davis tell it, his path to becoming a musician—and, now, a video game designer—was laid out for him at an early age by none other than Cyndi Lauper and the Goonies."When I think of the first ...

The East Side is getting a nifty outdoor “Art Lot”

Matt Wild

July 22, 2020

Do you like Milwaukee's East Side neighborhood? Do you like art? Do you like eating and/or hanging out in once-underused parking lots that now feature colorful picnic tables painted by local artists? If you ans...

WMSE’s Art & Music makes the transformation to virtual event

Tyler Maas

July 21, 2020

WMSE's annual Art & Music successfully combines the work of area artists with Milwaukee music, along with local beer and cocktails to create a special event that raises funds for the listener-supported stat...

Broken Bat’s wall was covered with the name of a fallen graffiti artist—now it’s a (repainted) tribute

Matt Wild

July 7, 2020

Long story short: Over Memorial Day weekend, the giant westward-facing wall of Broken Bat Brewing Company (135 E. Pittsburgh Ave.) was covered in graffiti. Broken Bat owners were "pretty bummed" (they had only ...

Milwaukee Art Museum will reopen July 16 (with timed ticketing, free admission for a month)

Matt Wild

July 6, 2020

The Milwaukee Art Museum will reopen to the public on Thursday, July 16. If you're a Museum Member, that reopening gets bumped ahead to Thursday, July 9.As for pandemic precautions, MAM will employee a time...

Milwaukee artists honor Black lives with Riverwest Filling Station mural

Juan Miguel Martinez

June 18, 2020

Murals are an infinite, lasting way to express the joyful pain of love and unity. (Unity is not a concept that should have any gray areas, but then again, "I don't see color" is something that makes no sense an...

Safe & Sound announces Virtual Juneteenth Celebration, seeks performers

Tyler Maas

June 10, 2020

Much like countless other Milwaukee events, this year's Juneteenth Day Parade and Street Festival has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. Though a Freedom Ball—expected to take place sometime between Octobe...

Sculpture Milwaukee will return to downtown streets beginning in June

Matt Wild

May 28, 2020

One of our favorite things is Sculpture Milwaukee, the "outdoor museum" of world-class art that has spruced up Downton Milwaukee every summer since 2017. And hey, despite the ongoing pandemic and everything els...

Explore the all-too-timely world of conspiracy theories with Tea Krulos’ new book, ‘American Madness’

Matt Wild

May 15, 2020

Ever get the feeling that the world has gone...mad? Of course you have, because it totally has. Now more than ever, wild and dangerous conspiracy theories fester in dark corners of the media (especially social ...

Mandatory Milwaukee: Black Cat Alley strikes a balance between art gallery and, well, alley

Matt Wild

May 11, 2020

broadstreet.zone(77472); Some places come and go, while some places become icons. Mandatory Milwaukee is all about the latter. Join us as we revisit beloved and well-worn local staples with fresh eyes, and exp...

This spring’s Bay View Gallery Night has been canceled

Tyler Maas

May 4, 2020

Since 2011, Bay View Gallery Night has organized "Milwaukee’s largest annual celebration of art, local business, music, and community." The massive late spring event brings together talented area artists and mu...

Group behind Walker’s Point window art hasn’t forgotten about Wisconsin’s “Pandemic Primary”

Matt Wild

April 29, 2020

It's been just over three weeks since Wisconsinites were—incredibly, unbelievably—forced to vote in person in the 2020 Spring Primary. You know, during a global pandemic. In Milwaukee, there were only five voti...