April 2025
April 8th, 2025
April has brought many events and community gatherings to the city. Keep an eye out for lots of fun family friendly educational opportunities on our socials and website.
Down at the lake
Photo by Corrigan Eckert
Announcements
Call for Co-Lead Artist applications for West Basin!
We are seeking an artist (of any discipline -- visual or performance based!) to collaborate with local artist and West Basin neighbor, Wyethe Smallish, to co-lead two community walks and co-create a final public art work.
ARTIST COMPENSATION: $15,000 total, including materials, to be split between the two artists at their discretion and guidance of the WaterMarks team.
TIMELINE:
Application deadline: Sunday, April 13th, 2025 at 11:59pm
Selected artist notified by: Friday, April 25th, 2025
First community walk: May 31st
Second community walk: TBD (potentially June 21, July 12, or July 19)
Letter selection workshop + draft proposal due: TBD (July or August)
Final public art installation due: February 2026
Other community touch points as needed to get ample feedback and input
Partner Events
WaterMarks isn't building an atlas of water alone. We work with countless organizations and individuals on this endeavor. WaterMarks Community-University Working Group is a collective of residents, artists, community-based institutions, and researchers who assemble to guide the future of water in Milwaukee.
Here are some upcoming events that our partners are hosting:
Science on Tap at the Milwaukee Public Museum
"Seeding Resilience: Haudenosaunee Corn & History"
Dr. Rebecca M. Webster
With a focus on the Oneida people of Wisconsin, corn has played an integral role in both their daily and ceremonial lives throughout their often-turbulent history. Their relationship with corn has changed throughout time, but the spirit of corn has remained by their side, helping them heal along the way. Learn about current efforts to grow and celebrate corn on the Oneida Reservation.
Location: Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W Wells St, Milwaukee, WI 53233
Date/time: Thursday April 8th 6:00 pm - 8:00pm
Community Collaborative Commission Public Listening Session
Public Forum to discuss the future of policing in Milwaukee. ASL and Spanish interpretation will be provided.
Location: Independence first, 540 S 1st street, Milwaukee, WI 53204
Date/time: Wednesday, April 16th 6:00 pm - 8:00pm
Possible Future Uses of New Lakefront at the Port of Milwaukee Webinar
The Center for Water Policy is hosting an Earth Day webinar featuring James Wasley, Professor at UW-Milwaukee and 2024-2025 Water Policy Scholar. He will present his research on the possible future uses of the Confined Disposal Facility at the Port of Milwaukee. This facility is part of a broader network of dredge-spoil sites across the Great Lakes. He will also discuss newly created lakefront lands in a basin-wide context and include examples of closure and conversion to future public uses in other parts of the Great Lakes.
Location: Virtual
Date/time: Tuesday, April 22nd noon - 1:00pm
Arbor Day at MPM
In celebration of Arbor Day, MPM Educators will be on the exhibit floors with interactive learning opportunities about the science of maple sugaring, the importance of materials like birch bark, and why and how a museum collects and studies plants. Free with admission.
Location: Milwaukee Public Museum 800 W Wells St. Milwaukee, 53233
Date/time: Friday, April 25th 10:30am - 1:00pm
Streets Alive! at MPM
The Streets of Old Milwaukee will bring history to life as docents interpret this beloved exhibit in period attire! Visitors can chat with a maid from the Pfister Hotel, a pharmacist, a toy store owner, and others from the early 1900s who will inhabit the exhibit, answering questions, telling stories, and providing insights about life here more than a century ago.
Location: Milwaukee Public Museum 800 W Wells St. Milwaukee, 53233
Date/time: Saturday, April 26th 11:00am - 3:00pm
30th Annual Milwaukee
Riverkeeper Spring Cleanup
Help clean up Pulaski Park! Volunteers will meet in Pulaski Park Pavilion (2677 S 16th St). Select the Pulaski Park Cleanup with SSCHC and KKRNIA site when registering!
Milwaukee Riverkeeper will provide bags, gloves, supplies and FREE T-SHIRTS, and YOU provide the hands and energy to pick up trash. Grab a garbage bag, and let's clean up!
For more information please email rivercleanup@milwaukeeriverkeeper.orgor call 414-287-0207.
Location: Pulaski Park Pavilion, 2677 S. 16th St., Milwaukee
Date/time: Saturday April 26th 9:00am - noon
PARALLEL PLAY:
THE ART OF SCIENCE & THE SCIENCE OF ART
Enjoy free admission at the Haggerty Museum of Art. Parallel Play is a exhibit inspired by Marquette’s Biology class, Creative Problem Solving. This cross-disciplinary course teaches STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) students to embrace divergent thinking as a path to innovative problem solving.
Location: Haggerty Museum of Art, 1234 W Tory Hill St, Milwaukee, WI 53233
Date/time: Open Mondays thru Saturdays from 10:0 am - 4:30pm (January 17 – May 24, 2025)
The Great Milwaukee Garden: Blitz 2025
A Victory Garden Initiative, available to County residents. Our team of dedicated volunteers will deliver, assemble and install garden beds in the designated areas by registrants (residencies, business corporations, schools, etc.). We anticipate installing 400 garden beds this next season!
Date/time: April 26 – May 10
Support Local Entrepreneurs
As the winter holidays wind down, consider supporting local artists and entrepreneurs!
Here are some upcoming markets that you should check out:
Milwaukee Winter Farmers Market
+This is the last month to go to the Winter Farmers Market!+
Fondy's Milwaukee Winter Farmers Market exists to support local producers and to help our community eat local longer. Agricultural vendors offer high quality fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, poultry and dairy products. SNAP benefits are accepted at the market. Local food vendors also bring a wide variety of freshly baked goods, jams, cider, honey, maple syrup, sauces and soups, as well as delicious global cuisine. The market also offers health and wellness, and body products, such as soaps, body creams, and more.
Location: The Table, 5305 W. Capitol Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53216
Date/Time: Saturdays, January 4th, 2025 - April 19, 2025 / 9:00AM to 2:00PM
Images all sourced from our website or with permission from the owner. Featured WaterMarks content was completed by Corrigan Eckert.
If you would like to see something included in our next newsletter, please send a request to: watermarksmke@gmail.com
with the subject line "Future Newsletter Content"
Find more events on our Website, scroll to the bottom of our home page to see our calendar!
