“This is a hardworking city. This is a diverse city. It’s not pretty all the time. If you’re knowledgeable and you keep your eyes open and you happen to peek over, you can see something beautiful in all this mess.”
So says Milwaukee’s always-awesome BLAX in the latest video from doc|UWM‘s always-awesome Cream City Soundcheck. BLAX should know a thing or two about the city’s promises and failures—the Fresh Cut Collective co-founder tackled them on last year’s excellent Be Well (#12 on our list of the 25 best Milwaukee albums of 2017). But how well does he know Milwaukee’s public art?
Enter Milwaukee guide/John Gurda heir apparent Adam Carr, who accompanies BLAX on a tour of some of the city’s most notable public art pieces. In between shots of BLAX rocking the Cactus Club, he and Carr discuss the past and present of Sherman Park, the meaning behind the Latino history mural in Walker’s Point, and the specter of gentrification that hangs over the iconic Esperanza Unida “Mural of Peace.” BLAX also talks about his music, his brand, and the simple—yet powerful—message of Be Well.