Past Installations

Three of The Hop’s streetcar shelters displayed portraits of Milwaukee legends who built pride for our city. The installation featured portraits of Hank Aaron, Vel R. Phillips, and Gene Wilder, by local artist Teresa Sahar, ahead of the groundbreaking of Baird Center in 2021.

In partnership with Marcus Performing Arts Center, a second installation by Atelier Sisu was curated for Rainbow Summer: HIGHLIGHT 2024. The immersive work featured five, 20-foot-tall arches and was the first exhibition of this artwork in the United States.

Visitors enjoyed this Instagrammable experience by Atelier Sisu during Rainbow Summer: HIGHLIGHT 2023. The installation featured three sets of four bubbles each, which transformed the MPAC Outdoor Grounds over a five-day period.

The Inside Out Project visited Downtown Milwaukee on its national tour in 2021. Large-scale portraits of community members were temporarily installed on Chase Tower plaza as part of the global public art project.

Over 60 local musicians and 2,500 festival goers took to the streets of East Town, Westown, and the Historic Third Ward for the three-day downtown music festival.

A spring-inspired video art installation was projected onto BMO Tower’s parking structure during Gallery Night & Day 2023. The original animation was created by local artist Emma Daisy Gertel.

Light Lane was a multi-sensory public art installation that brought pedal-powered projections to the Milwaukee RiverWalk at Chase Tower.

“Lightfield” by HYBYCOZO transformed Cathedral Square Park into an immersive public art installation featuring the work of the Ukrainian and Canadian artist duo, HYBYCOZO.

The work of Australian artist Amanda Parer was installed on the MPAC Outdoor Grounds during Rainbow Summer 2025. The installation featured three large-scale illuminated flowers, inviting visitors into a world where art and nature collide.

Massimals MKE, by artist Jason Scroggin of Scroggin Studio, transformed Cathedral Square Park into a magical winter wonderland with roaming polar bears. The structures were later updated with a rainbow-themed color palette in celebration of Pride Month.

Ahead of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, a new street banner project was installed to spark dialogue on race and democracy. Milwaukee Downtown commissioned the poem, “Of” by Dasha Kelly Hamilton, and paired verses with original artwork by Della Wells. In all, 58 banners were installed.

The Same River Twice explored the surface and depths of the Milwaukee River in a photo-film that transformed a forlorn space in the very center of Downtown Milwaukee.

For the first time, Red Arrow Park’s “Slice of Ice” rink was reimagined as a community roller skating rink during the summer.

In celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Milwaukee Downtown supported a local food vendor in the rebranding of their food truck. Created by Emma Daisy Gertel, symbols in the mural celebrated Filipino cuisine and culture.

With support from the Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Milwaukee-native Josephine Rice transformed the Marcus Performing Arts Center’s Riverwalk boat landing steps into an eye-catching, temporary chalk mural featuring 40+ colors in the composition. The mural was on display summer 2021.

In 2021, Milwaukee Downtown and New Land Enterprises commissioned Chicago artist Matthew Hoffman to transform a blank plywood wall into a temporary mural. The mural stretched 60 feet wide and provided positive affirmations to pedestrians.