There’s been a lot of intense news lately, and a lot going on in Milwaukee. At the same time, this Milwaukee summer has been one for the books. It's a great time to lean into the best of life in the Cream City, and to step back and appreciate the good things we’ve got going on. So, here’s a bunch of reasons to be hopeful about Milwaukee as a creative community on the rise this summer.
Creative Activations of Parks and Waterways
It’s a sign of the times and of the increasing appetite for arts experiences in our city that new artistic activations continue to crop up in Milwaukee County Parks, on the river and lake, and even at Summerfest. The park spaces are some of Milwaukee’s most unique and beautiful cultural assets and, happily, we’re seeing more and more programming that leverages these special micro-environments, attracting cross sections of arts enthusiasts.
Some activations this summer are returning events like Poetry in the Park from Woodland Pattern. The beloved monthly summer event series presents outdoor readings from national and local poets at Juneau Park downtown for a serene and stimulating summer evening program. Take in poetry and lightening bugs from a blanket on the grass overlooking Lake Michigan... can you imagine a dreamier date night activity?
Other happenings are brand new to the MKE summer dance card. Undeniably, FuzzPop Workshop is making a name for itself. The studio is the brainchild of Daniel Murray, a Milwaukee boomerang who returned from California and re-introduced himself to the community through the establishment of the immersive Deep Lake Future. Along with a team of more than a dozen artistic collaborators, FuzzPop Workshop has also produced an artist designed interactive display at Summerfest with Yield, and now, in a collaboration with Joy Engine, presents “Ginormous Glowing Cosmopods,” an appropriately wild sculptural hallmark for the all-ages arts and music extravaganza ArtBlaze at Bradford Beach and South Shore Park. The event series launched earlier this month and brings together the triumvirate of music, art, and parties on beaches—a new Milwaukee special.
A little further afield, Open Kitchen (local artists Rudy Medina and Alyx Christianson) continue their artistic practice of curating and supporting artist residencies at Lynden Sculpture Garden. Together, they facilitate marvelous artist talks that coincide with made-from-scratch community meals inspired by the tastes and culinary traditions of Medina’s native Mexico, with ingredients harvested from the garden they steward on the grounds of Lynden. In July, Open Kitchen hosted ceramic artist Chris Salas for workshops and a cookout. Salas harvested clay from earth at Lynden and will return in the fall for a community clay firing. These unique and sensorially rich gatherings among verdant plant life and stark modernist sculptures are more than worth the short drive up to the north side of town.
Also, rock concerts on a pontoon boat—otherwise known as a “Funktoon.” Need I say more? This unique feature of Milwaukee summer is a memorable way to take in some of our fantastic local musical acts and is best experienced from the patio at Boone & Crockett or a kayak flotilla with your closest buds.
The Vel R. Phillips Plaza and the city’s Connec+ing MKE: Downtown Plan 2040
Leaders in Milwaukee are more and more demonstrating that they get the importance of investment in the arts to a thriving city—i.e., the critical role that the arts play in establishing and maintaining a high quality of life for residents and supporting talent attraction and retention.
In case you missed it, the city celebrated the opening of the Vel R. Phillips Plaza at the end of June. The next phase of the major artist commission for the space will unfold in the fall, with the artwork expected to be installed in 2025. There will also be space for vendors, and opportunities for dynamic events within the space that has been constructed to honor the life and legacy of Milwaukee’s own trailblazing Black female leader, Vel R. Phillips.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson allocated $600,000 for the artist commission and there’s a solid reason to assume that it won’t be the last infusion of money towards public art by the Mayor: The City’s Downtown 2040 plan. The tagline for the plan is “Designing Downtown’s Future Together.” At the center of the plan, which was a collaboration between the City and Downtown BID 21, are lofty goals to raise the number of jobs downtown to 100,000 and the number of residents to 40,000. And Goal 4 expressly calls out arts, culture, entertainment and sports. The subheadline of that goal is to “Create more opportunities for shared experiences, and highlight the diverse stories, people and places that make MKE unique.”
What makes our city an increasingly desirable destination to visit, live, work and play comes down to our distinctive creative culture. Whether it’s articles in the NYTimes, Vanity Fair, or the scores of other high profile media features and mentions that have come out in the last several years: what we do for fun is the secret sauce to Milwaukee’s special palatability. It will be exciting to see Mayor Johnson’s next moves on the front of supporting the arts.
Other elected leaders in Milwaukee get it, too, and are on the record in their support for the arts and more funding for the arts. Earlier this year, Imagine MKE hosted Lafayette Crump, the Commissioner of the Department of City Development along with Marilu Knode, an independent curatorial consultant, on the Creative MKE podcast to discuss the Vel R. Phillips Plaza project. Commissioner Crump offered up many insights about his view of the vital importance of the arts. You can read the full transcript, here.
And, in response to a survey conducted by Imagine MKE this spring before the election, local Aldermen weighed in on the value of the arts in the community:
Robert Bauman, District 4:
...how do you perceive the value of Milwaukee’s arts, culture, and creative industries?
These industries create a sense of place, namely creating a distinctive and unique environment for residents and visitors to enjoy and feel a sense of pride in their community.
...where do you perceive the disconnect, and what measures do you propose to address this lack of funding?
Primarily budgetary constraints and the escalating costs of protective services such as police and fire. Creating a safe and vibrant downtown does contribute to the success of the arts, culture and creative industries. I have supported budget amendments that have sought to increase direct financial support for the arts and I have supported the use of tax incremental financing to raise revenue for projects that include public art components such as the Vel Phillips Plaza and the renovation of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's Bradley Symphony Center. I have also supported city financial support for neighborhood venues such as the New State venue at 27th & State where the city sold the building to the arts group for $1 and provided additional direct financial support.
Peter Burgelis, District 11:
...how do you perceive the value of Milwaukee’s arts, culture, and creative industries?
These are the reasons people want to stay in Milwaukee, visit here, and move here. They are invaluable resources that make our community better.
...where do you perceive the disconnect, and what measures do you propose to address this lack of funding?
Budgets are value statements about a community's priorities. I think the City can assist non-profits more than just with funding. Funds are always limited and help from the arts sectors to advocate for increased state revenue is needed and will grow the consensus of support to state legislators.
Do you have any additional thoughts on this topic that you would like to share?
As a past performer and lifelong supporter of the Arts, I'll always do what I can to help grow and improve artistic and cultural enrichments to our community.
The Culinary Arts are Thriving
Have you heard of a little show called Top Chef? Great. There’s a lot to say about the immense exposure that was generated by the show’s partial filming in Milwaukee— the announcement of Top Chef coming to WI alone generated $34.7 million in “advertising value equivalency.” But what’s most exciting is what having the show filmed in our city has done to position us rightly as a food town—beyond beer, brats, and cheese. Year after year, chefs from Milwaukee make their mark and are nominated for or have won James Beard awards.
Part of top chef’s marketing for this season was to highlight Milwaukee’s special menu of diverse culinary offerings including local coffee and spices—but also highlight and make use of venues including Discovery World and Henry Meier Festival Park.
The success of Top Chef Season 21 filming in Wisconsin has left many in the state feeling optimistic about the future of large-scale productions facilitated through film production incentives. This momentum may be just the thing to position Wisconsin as a hub for more national film and television productions. Speaking of which...
A Bill for Film Tax incentives
Action! WI, a statewide coalition of filmmakers, producers, and film industry advocates, continues to work diligently behind the scenes to bring the bipartisan film and television tax incentives bill to fruition in the forthcoming legislative session slated for this fall. If adopted, these incentives will allow Wisconsin to compete with neighboring states for film and television opportunities, generating significant economic activity, further bolstering our tourism industries, and attracting and retaining creative talent. While Hollywood might be foundering, Milwaukee is on the rise. The movement to establish these incentives has garnered widespread support from legislators on both sides of the aisle, local filmmakers and producers, and even celebrities like Wisconsin native and actor Mark Ruffalo who shared about the bills on his Instagram page, and local comedian Charlie Berens.
Milwaukee stands to benefit from the incentives by becoming a more competitive locale for show and movie shoots. In recent years, the show Joe Pera Talks with You and independent film Hundreds of Beavers both centered production in the Milwaukee area, creating employment opportunities for local talent. However, the number of productions based here has remained minuscule compared to neighboring Chicagoland area and other urban centers in states that already have film tax incentives. The passing of film tax incentives in WI could change this balance, and create more jobs in Milwaukee—already a natural film hub due to the presence of UWM’s Film department, one of the nation’s top film schools.
A Thriving Creative Entrepreneurial Scene
Markets. Markets. Markets! It seems like each year Milwaukee sees a crop of new makers markets, or the expansion of existing ones like Milwaukee Maker’s Market. Something about the combo of an abundance of creative entrepreneurs across a seemingly unlimited range of disciplines paired with the bounty of large, flexible venues and fairly ample parking has led to a golden age of Maker’s Markets in Milwaukee. What are you looking for-- a tufted strawberry? An aura portrait? Perhaps a custom booty illustration? Milwaukee’s got it. And, you can drink a Bloody Mary and enjoy a rad local DJ spinning records live while you’re at it. Have even more fun knowing that you’re directly bolstering the local economy and art you get to gift or live with becomes symbolic of this fact. It’s not just a vase with butterflies—it’s an object that reflects the web of local makers and their ability to live and thrive in this city. We are living through a profoundly productive creative era and haven’t hit the ceiling yet on fairs in Milwaukee; maybe we never will.
I’m gonna come out and say it: Milwaukee continues to be having a moment despite intense social, political, and economic challenges on both the national and local level. As we celebrate our successes and imagine solutions and possibilities, it’s crucial that we continue to highlight the role that arts, culture, and creative industries are playing in positive social and economic developments in our community so that we can compound momentum and support for them. Let’s talk about it with our friends, neighbors, and families: how and why the arts are so welcome and needed in our lives.
Movements for change require participation and articulation about successes so that we may leverage strengths and our collective voices around developing solutions to challenges. With the abundance of ways that the arts are already centered in our lives in Milwaukee, creativity will continue to be a defining feature of this town. It's always a good time for us to celebrate and embrace that, even while advocating for more direct investment in our creative sector.
If you’d like to join the movement to advocate for more support for the arts, join Imagine MKE’s mailing list (sign up at the bottom of the website) to stay apprised of arts advocacy alerts, arts news and much more.
