Sculpture Milwaukee, which has brought outdoor art exhibitions to Wisconsin Avenue over the past three years, will expand this summer to the Historic Third Ward.
The expansion is funded in partnership with the Black Box Fund, a Milwaukee-based organization that was founded last year to support public art, music and performances. The fund is behind several art initiatives in the Third Ward, including a free Jazz at Noon series and the three-day display of a 23-foot moon replica in Catalano Square last summer.
“We are thrilled for the opportunity to partner with Sculpture Milwaukee,” said Doug McDonald, vice president of the Black Box Fund. “Our goal, to support public art that inspires and educates, meshes perfectly with Sculpture Milwaukee’s world class programing. We’re very excited to see what works will be chosen for the Historic Third Ward extension to Sculpture Milwaukee.”
Sculpture Milwaukee’s 2020 exhibition will kick off in late May and early June with the installation of new sculptures. They will be on display through mid-October.
Sculpture Milwaukee first launched in 2017 as the brainchild of Steve Marcus, chairman of the Marcus Corp. In 2019, it incorporated as its own nonprofit organization.
“Sculpture Milwaukee is about utilizing public art as a catalyst for energizing Wisconsin Avenue’s downtown corridor, contributing to its reemergence as a community and economic hub,” said executive director Brian Schupper. “Extending to the Historic Third Ward – an adjacent neighborhood that has an overlapping commitment to a creative engagement of our community – is a natural next step in our growth.”
The organization said it will present its largest display yet, as it prepares for international visitors associated with the Democratic National Convention this summer.
“As Milwaukee’s arts district, we are thrilled to have Sculpture Milwaukee include the Historic Third Ward neighborhood in this year’s event – especially with all eyes on Milwaukee for the Democratic National Convention,” said Jim Plaisted, executive director of the Historic Third Ward Association. “The neighborhood is the perfect complement to the overall mission of both Black Box Fund and Sculpture Milwaukee, and we are very appreciative of their efforts to enhance our visitor experience this summer.”
