Gallery Night MKE. Experience dynamic art, food and shopping in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward.
Organized by the Historic Third Ward Association, Spring Gallery Night MKE will be held April 22 and 23.
Free and open to the public, Gallery Night MKE includes more than two dozen participating galleries and art venues, including event newcomers Aquae Nguvu Gallery and Studio, BeingNau Gallery.
Held quarterly, the event started 35 years ago as a collaboration between the Milwaukee Art Dealers Association and the East Town neighborhood association in an effort to get more people to visit the city’s galleries.
Ruth Lawson, marketing and communications director for the Historic Third Ward Association, said that the internet and social media have changed the art world—and Gallery Night MKE. In addition to traditional galleries, smaller studios and other venues have made art available for purchase. “Now, people are creating everywhere,” Lawson added.
In October 2019, the Historic Third Ward Association rebranded the event formerly known as Gallery Night and Day to Gallery Night MKE.
Besides its own website the event has a downloadable app, making it easy for Gallery Night visitors to plan their nights and navigate venues.
Future Gallery Night MKE events will take place July 15 & 16 and Oct. 21 & 22.
For a full list of participating Gallery Night venues visit gallerynightmke.com
Gallery Night Highlights:
Fri., 7-10pm Fundraiser and Gallery Night Party
Club Charlies: 320 E. Menomonee St.
Enjoy live music and purchase art from local artists during the fundraiser’s silent auction. Proceeds from the auction, along with sales of a featured Point Brewery beer, benefit annual free summer music series Ayre in the Square, held in the Third Ward’s Catalano Square. clubcharlies.com.
Fri., 5-10pm; Sat., 12-5pm An Abstract Nature
Gallery 218: 207 E. Buffalo St., Suite 218.
See contemporary abstract art created by local and regional artists, including Judith Hooks, Bernie Newman, Scott Onsager, Carol Liesenfelder, Hillary Johnson, Sheree Wood, Maria Page, Carole Glass. April 22 includes live jazz by Elevator Trio, light appetizers and a cash bar. gallery218.com.
Fri., 5-9pm; Sat., 10am-4pm (Exhibit through June 5)
Milwaukee Artists Resource Network (MARN) Exhibition
MARN Art + Culture Hub: 191 N. Broadway, #102.
Purchase work created by MARN artists in the Marketplace, view a locally-curated exhibition and enjoy a beverage at the Interval Coffee+Wine Bar. marnarts.org.
Fri., 5-9pm; Sat., 10am-5pm (Exhibit through May 7)
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) Senior Exhibition 2022.
MIAD 273 E. Erie St.
Highlights the work of nearly 190 artists and designers enrolled in the college’s Bachelor of Fine Arts programs, among them Interior Architecture and Design, Communication Design, Illustration, and New Studio Practice. miad.edu.
Fri., 5-9pm; Sat., 11am-4pm (Exhibit through May 28)
Falling Waters
Tory Folliard Gallery: 233 N. Milwaukee St.
The longstanding Tory Folliard Gallery presents the work of Wisconsin surrealist artist Fred Stonehouse with the new exhibit Falling Waters, which features mythical landscapes with a waterfall theme. toryfolliard.com.
Fri., 5-9pm; Sat., 11am-3pm (Exhibit April 22-June 25)
Spring Show
Sadler Gallery: 207 E. Buffalo St. Suite 526
Featured Wisconsin artist, Amy Jarvis, presents her newest series, “It’s just a dog…”. These meticulously detailed paintings tell a visual story that dogs are anything but “just”. Also on view are Emanuele Capozza’s graphite figure drawings and The Pop Art of Eric Oates. sadlergallery.net.
Food, Shopping & More
From trendy boutiques to quintessentially Milwaukee-themed shops and even a general store, the Historic Third Ward has plenty of shopping options. Purchase the latest fashions at Mainstream and Access boutiques, show your Milwaukee pride with a Brew City Brand T-shirt, and pick up a one-of-a-kind gift or plant at Mod Gen.
After working up an appetite shopping, enjoy lunch or dinner at one of the Historic Third Ward’s many restaurants. For a great variety of food and dessert choices, visit the Milwaukee Public Market and its many vendors. Try Cafe Benelux for European brewpub fare or Tre Rivali, a Mediterranean restaurant with a touch of class.