A bunch of reasons to be hopeful about Milwaukee as a creative community on the rise this summer.   ..read more

ArtBlaze from Joy Engine launches the new Milwaukee special combo: public art, music and beaches ..read more

You've almost certainly heard of the acronym S.T.E.A.M.: science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. In this day and age, many programs and classes geared towards children promote S.T.E.A.M. as a standard framework for learning and development. But creative people of all ages stand to benefit from opportunities for learning, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing in these areas. A Milwaukee event called Share the Vibes Music and Technology Festival seeks to do just that for Milwaukeeans. On July 13th, t ..read more

Let’s say you’re in a band, rocking steadily in the upper Midwest for years and your following explodes. A song from your latest album is highlighted on a Spotify playlist, and your social media content is popping off. Suddenly you're reaching new audiences near and far. Then you get a call from an unrecognized number, and it’s a rep from a record company. Next thing you know, you’re being courted by record executives who present you with a promising contract... and piles of associated paperwork full of legal jargon. What the heck&n ..read more

With spring at full tilt, it’s easy to get excited about all the plant life budding and blossoming in Milwaukee’s natural areas and urban gardens. Even for those without green thumbs, the activity of gardening has many documented benefits for physical and mental health. Gardening also teaches strategy, patience, adaptability and resilience. Cultivating and caring for plants can generate a feeling of efficacy, pride, and self-sufficiency.  It's also an activity that can be done in community, and for community. And ..read more

Imagine you’re a high school aged singer-songwriter, and you had the opportunity to perform your music on a stage that hosted some of your favorite rockstars, alongside a crew of likeminded young artists who are rooting for you, in front of a panel of music industry experts, ready to give you constructive, supportive feedback and advice. Oh, and there’s Ian's pizza. Like a monthly masterclass party for teens, since 2017, Grace Weber’s Music Lab has offered opportunities for Milwaukee-area teens to learn and get advice from music industry experts—f ..read more

Writer and Director Marisa Merkl is an observational artist, drawing on the stories of those around her to create her scripts. As “a deep listener,” over the course of her life, Merkl has found herself naturally serving as a confidante to many individuals for whom grappling with personal trauma, and its aftereffects, became an inflection point.   In the last several years, as Merkl began pursuing a long-held dream of writing and directing films, she found that the material “in her gut, and in her heart,” that she was most called to work on was a story about trauma and its acute and long ..read more

How might a young person’s future look different with exposure to and training in the arts? This is the proposition at the heart of the mission of Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. In this episode of Creative MKE, Elisabeth speaks with Chad Tessmer, the Executive Director at MYAC. They discuss how equitable engagement in the arts has a measurable positive impact on young people’s development—and on their entire lives. Located at the corner of Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and Walnut Street, MYAC is at the intersection of several Milwaukee neighborhoods including Halyard Park, Brewer’s Hill ..read more

For its 23-24 season closer on May 16-19 at the Pabst Theater, Milwaukee Ballet will present MKE MIX, featuring three contemporary ballet works by choreographers Gabrielle Lamb, Penny Saunders, and Nelly van Bommel. This is the first show mounted by Milwaukee Ballet with the distinction of having a roster of female choreographers and is the launch of a brand-new contemporary ballet performance series from the company.     For the first time, Milwaukee Ballet welcomes choreographer Penny Saunders for a re-sta ..read more

On May 10, Mount Mary University will present the next installment of its annual CREO Fashion Show, showcasing the work of current Design and Merchandise Fashion majors from the college.     The Fashion department at Mount Mary is one of the nation’s premiere educational programs for aspiring designers and fashion industry workers. Established in the 1960's, it was the first four-year higher education fashion study program in the United States. The program is home to an extensive historical and modern fashion archive—which houses and periodically exhibits select ..read more