Migration Mural

Art Soars To New Heights

From an Overlooked Tunnel to Must-See Photo-Op 

Commissioned by the Downtown Placemaking Task Force in 2018, "Migration," spans the 50-ft. length of the Jefferson Street pedestrian tunnel. The public artwork is a collaboration between muralists Janson Rapisarda (CERA Street Art) and Katie Batten, both 2012 graduates of Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. Greeting nearly 1,000 pedestrians to the central business district and Historic Third Ward neighborhoods each day, "Migration" provides a new sense of arrival in the once overlooked and dark pedestrian tunnel. 

A Nod to Local Ecology, Landmarks

The mural highlights Milwaukee's natural and constructed landscapes, featuring sequences of Cream City brick and city landmarks such as the Milwaukee Art Museum, Gas Light Building, Milwaukee Public Market, and Hoan Bridge. Migration is juxtaposed by images of Wisconsin's local and migratory birds as a nod to the local ecology and a metaphor for the migration between the central business district and Historic Third Ward neighborhoods.