To commemorate the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 commissioned three local artists for the "Road of Democracy," a public art installation framing City Hall featuring former Artist of the Year Della Wells, Poet Laureate Dasha Kelly Hamilton, and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Brad Pruitt.
In the summer of 2020, Wisconsin artist Jaime Brown completed a new mural above 2nd Street, as part of The Avenue's redevelopment and a new focal point for a reinvigorated public realm.
Completed in the summer of 2020, "The Hero in You" by Milwaukee artist Ken Brown celebrates the essential workers and frontline heroes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about this community mural, and the people who inspired this artistic masterpiece.
Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 delivered summer fun to Postman Square in 2019. In partnership with neighborhood businesses and residents, the Postman Square traffic triangle transformed into a morning, midday and afterhours meeting spot.
In partnership with Milwaukee County Housing Division, Milwaukee Police Department, and the District Attorney's Office, Key to Change assists chronically homeless individuals within our community. Key-shaped meters build awareness of our community's quality of life programs and collect donations for both short and long-term assistance.
There's no place like Downtown Milwaukee to celebrate Valentine's Day. For the first-time ever, we're activating the Wisconsin Avenue plazas with ice sculptures, sweet treats and roses!
"Heart & Sol" by local artist Mauricio Ramirez portrays the optimism for the city's future through its illustration of youth. Featuring a colorful background and symbols, this site-specific mural reflects Milwaukee's four seasons and the work of Community Advocates, Inc.
In July 2019, local artist Emma Daisy Gertel illustrated the revitalization taking place along West Wisconsin Avenue with an 80-foot by 50-foot mural at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and James Lovell Street. Titled "Westown in Bloom," the high-impact mural is positioned at Downtown's gateway where more than 11,000 vehicles pass each day.
"Migration" is a floor-to-ceiling mural by CERA Street Art and Katie Batten in the Jefferson Street pedestrian tunnel. Spanning 50 feet in length, the mural strengthens pedestrian connectivity between the central business district and Historic Third Ward neighborhoods.
In celebration of the Year of Wisconsin Avenue in 2017, Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21, with support from the Downtown Placemaking Task Force and Wisconsin Avenue stakeholders, commissioned Mauricio Ramirez to transform ten utility boxes into artistic masterpieces.
From the lakefront to Wisconsin Center District, Milwaukee's main street, Wisconsin Avenue, comes to life seasonally, between June and October, with 22 world-class sculptures. For the third consecutive year, Sculpture Milwaukee returns in 2019, with all-new public art in the heart of the city.
Held internationally on the third Friday of September, parking spaces around the globe are temporarily reclaimed for people. In downtown Milwaukee, a dozen metered spaces are transformed into new territories for creative experimentation, activation, socializing and play.
The Downtown GO! Kart is turning break time into playtime. Challenge your colleagues, friends or family to a variety of games, located inside the ASQ Center's river skywalk from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m/, Monday - Friday, through April, and on the plaza of 310W, from May until October.
