Holiday Art & History Events

**Please note, events and activities are subject to change or cancellation. Please call ahead of your arrival.**

Sculpture Milwaukee 

Ongoing
Downtown Milwaukee 
sculpturemilwaukee.com
Experience world- renowned sculptures along Wisconsin Avenue.

Central Library Architectural Tour

Sat, Ongoing | 11am to 12pm
Central Library
414.286.3000 | mpl.org
Visit Milwaukee Public Library's beautiful Central Library, a popular destination for more than a century, and discover its many significant architectural features. 

Triangulador: The Art of Liubóv Szwako

Now thru December 2
Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel
414.276.8686 | saintkatearts.com
This kaleidoscopic survey of the artist’s self-taught, hard-edged and richly textured compositions presents the mature realization of Szwako’s childhood engagement with graffiti lettering and graphic design. The exhibit includes a site-specific mural.

Gil Reid and Friends: Working on the Railroad

Now thru December 22
Grohmann Museum
414.277.2300 | msoe.edu/grohmann-museum
Gil Reid and Friends is a must-see for any rail fan. From initial sketches to printed product, the railroad art of this amazing watercolorist is joined by other images of railroading from the museum’s collection.

A Century from Sopra Mare

Now thru December 22
Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum
414.296.1101 | villaterrace.org
Uncover the hidden histories of the Villa Terrace, from private residence to iconic Milwaukee landmark. See items from the Smith family on display for the first time, and learn about the Villa's origins and the numerous Milwaukeeans who have built this space.

The Milwaukee Road: Rails of Innovation

Now thru December 31
Central Library
414.286.3000 | mpl.org
This exhibit celebrates one of America’s most transformative railroads. Officially known as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, the Milwaukee Road was a pioneering force in rail transportation, shaping the Midwest and beyond.

Currents 39: LaToya M. Hobbs, Carving Out Time

Now thru January 5
Milwaukee Art Museum
414.224.3200 | mam.org
Carving Out Time shows the artist balancing her many priorities. Its five 8-by-12-foot scenes depict moments in a typical day for Hobbs, her husband and their two children, ending with a self-portrait of Hobbs in her studio when she finally has time to create new work.

Lunchbox Drawings: Art by Parents for their Children’s Lunches

Now thru January 12
Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel
414.276.8686 | saintkatearts.com
The theme of this current cycle of exhibitions at Saint Kate is “Family and Community,” and the ritual of attending school with a homemade lunch is a very familiar one to many of us. Some parents who happen to be artists, or are simply creatively inclined, supplement lunches with artwork to help personalize and enliven the school day. This exhibition features artists who submit to a daily routine of drawing for their children, and the resulting work reflects a breadth of potential that is difficult to imagine without seeing the variety on display.

The Art of Family: Presented by Arts for All Wisconsin

Now thru January 12
Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel
414.276.8686 | saintkatearts.com
The theme of Family provided a meaningful foundation for an exhibition that showcases how different artists interpret and express their personal connections to family. Like art, Family can take many forms. Family can be the people or animals with whom we share our lives, the support we give and receive, the history we carry from those who came before us, the things we long for, or the moments of connection that define us. Award-winning Arts for All Wisconsin artists from across the state were invited to express through their art what Family means to them. The artists featured in the exhibition are diverse and thoughtful in their exploration of the theme and stands as a testament to the range of skill, ingenuity, and determination of this cohort-proof that creativity knows no limits.

Oracion by Lucio Arellano

Now thru January 12
Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel
414.276.8686 | saintkatearts.com
Landscapes conflate as an aging immigrant grandfather reconciles with the life he’s built on both sides of the Mexican-American border. An orphanage becomes a museum, a silver mine becomes a sanctuary, and an unfinished home attempts to become complete as translational language politics complicate the threads that tie these sites together.

Generations: Opaque Mirrors of Beauty Curated by Juelle Daley

Now thru January 12
Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel
414.276.8686 | saintkatearts.com
This exhibition focuses on how two Midwestern figurative painters, Ellen Holtzblatt and Shane-Jahi Jackson, memorialize and document those they hold dear without idealizing portraits. 

Groundbreaking: The Evolution of a Natural History Museum

Now thru January 20
Milwaukee Public Museum
414.278.2728 | mpm.edu
MPM invites visitors on a journey through the institution’s past, present and future, to explore the ways it has changed and grown with its many revolutionary achievements and to see how this tradition of innovation will continue in its new home.

Against the Grain: The Remarkable Life of Artist Bernard Perlin

Now thru January 26
Jewish Museum Milwaukee 
414.390.5730 | jewishmuseummilwaukee.org
Bernard Perlin was a minority, outsider, gay man, and pursuer of truth, beauty, and justice. This exhibit celebrates and brings deserved visibility to an individual who lived passionately and unapologetically against the grain.

Talk Back Chapter Two: Collection

Now thru February 16
Charles Allis Museum
414.296.1101 | charlesallis.org
Christina A. West and Meg Lionel Murphy challenge and reclaim the history of the historic Allis Art Collection in the newest chapter of "Talk Back."

Left with your memories

Now thru February 23
Charles Allis Museum
414.296.1101 | charlesallis.org
Allis Artist-in-Residence Tracy Keller Nickolaus' solo exhibition "left with your memories" is an intimate emotional exploration of older individuals experiencing memory loss, and the families who journey alongside them.

Robert Longo: The Acceleration of History

Now thru February 23
Milwaukee Art Museum
414.224.3200 | mam.org
Robert Longo has long examined the effects of our image-saturated culture. The artist sources his subject matter from the media to create ambitiously scaled charcoal drawings that reflect on the construction of symbols of power and authority. That includes images of animals and nature, as well as global conflicts and protest movements.

Light and Shadow: John Constable’s English Landscapes in Print

Now thru March 16
Milwaukee Art Museum
414.224.3200 | mam.org
The renowned nineteenth-century landscape painter John Constable produced, with printmaker David Lucas, a series of mezzotint prints based on some of his oil sketches, watercolors and drawings. The prints depict the English countryside and demonstrate the “chiaroscuro of nature” through various dark and light tones.

True Story: Photography, Journalism, and Media

November 15 – March 16
Milwaukee Art Museum
414.224.3200 | mam.org
Drawn from the Museum’s photography and media arts collection, True Story: Photography, Journalism, and Media explores ways that photographers and artists have understood and wielded the power of images to convey the events of our world.

Homegrown: Wisconsin Pop Culture 

November 15 – March 22
Milwaukee County Historical Society 
414.273.8288 | milwaukeehistory.net
From the Packers and Oscar Meyer to Liberace and Trixie Mattel, join the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Milwaukee County Historical Society as they partner to present the exhibition “Homegrown: Wisconsin Pop Culture.” Learn about iconic Badger State contributions to TV, media, sports and industry, from Happy Days to Harley Davidson to Hildegarde and more. View items spotlighting Wisco-culture and gain a better understanding of our place in popular culture history.

On Site: Derrick Adams: Our Time Together

Now through May 11
Milwaukee Art Museum
414.224.3200 | mam.org
Baltimore-born, Brooklyn-based artist Derrick Adams reframes historical Black narratives and examines the role of the media in shaping identity.

8th Annual Book Sale

Sat, November 16 | 10am to 4pm
Sun, November 17 | 12pm to 4pm
Milwaukee County Historical Society
414.273.8288 | milwaukeehistory.net
Rifle through photos, books, postcards, magazines and other items. All proceeds support Milwaukee County Historical Society.

Milwaukee Art Museum Store: Holiday Shopping Weekend

November 29 – December 1 | 10am to 5pm
Milwaukee Art Museum
414.224.3200 | mam.org
Kick off your holiday shopping in the reimagined Museum Store and find the perfect gift for all of the art lovers on your list! Now spanning two floors, the store offers an expanded collection of the art-inspired designs you know and love, plus even more jewelry, designer pieces, and Museum-exclusive treasures.

Farm to Frame

Opens December 6 
Milwaukee Art Museum
414.224.3200 | mam.org
The paintings and prints featured in Farm to Frame depict scenes of crop production specific to Wisconsin and give insight into the daily life of a farmer. Some works present romanticized views of the trade, while others showcase the harsh realities of rural life.

Gallery Talks

Various Dates and Times
Milwaukee Art Museum
414.224.3200 | mam.org
Join curators for in-depth looks at various galleries in the Museum. 

Gallery Talks

Various Dates and Times
Milwaukee Art Museum
414.224.3200 | mam.org
Join curators for in-depth looks at various galleries in the museum.