The Milwaukee Arts Scene

If your interest is to experience a high quality artistic performance or view fine art in an incredible setting, Milwaukee is the city for you. Boasting a ballet company, opera, symphony orchestra, professional theater company and many fine art museums all in a beautiful city on the lake, Milwaukee has much to offer.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin sits on the shores of Lake Michigan, roughly 100 miles from Chicago. It boasts the artistic, cultural and dining experiences of much larger cities, but in friendly, manageable, and scenic location.

Art Museums
Many smaller art museums and several large, internationally acclaimed art museums are located in Milwaukee. The new $100 million addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum (www.mam.org) designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava is spectacular. The crowning jewel of this treasure is a 90 foot high wall of glass overlooking Lake Michigan underneath the Burke Brise Soleil, a wing-like sunscreen that can be raised or lowered. Artwork at home in a work of art. Dating back to 1888, the collection includes approximately 20,000 works of art. The museum’s collections of American Decorative Arts, German Expressionism, folk and Haitian art and American art after 1960 are among the finest in the nation.

Smaller noteworthy museums in the city include the Charles Allis Art Museum and Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum (www.cavtmuseums.org). The Charles Allis Art Museum contains a collection of paintings, prints, sculpture, ceramics and more, housed in a 1911 Tudor style mansion built for Charles Allis, former president of the Allis-Chalmers Corporation. Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum features fine and decorative arts dating from the 15th to the 18th centuries, wrought-iron masterpieces by Cyril Colnik and a formal Garden.

Symphony Orchestra
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (www.milwaukeesymphony.org) is in it’s 46th season and is comprised of 88 professional musicians. The orchestra offers over 150 classics, pops, family and school concerts annually. The concerts take place in Uihlein Hall in the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts which seats 2305 people. Their Arts in Community Education program is one of the most highly regarded arts education programs in the nation.

Theater
The Milwaukee Repertory Theater (www.milwaukeerep.com), since 1954, is known as one of the best regional theater companies in the country. Performances take place in one of three separate theater venues; the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater which seats 720, the Stiemke Theater which seats 218, or the Stackner Cabaret which seats 118. Perhaps the most beloved of the Rep’s performances takes place during the Christmas holiday season when it performs Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Attending this play is a tradition shared among generations as it has been performed 30 consecutive years, the nation’s second longest running production. The play takes place in the beautiful Pabst Theater. The Theater was built in 1895 and boasts a stunning Baroque interior including an Austrian crystal chandelier, a staircase crafted from white Italian marble and a lavish arch highlighted in gold leaf.

The Sunset Playhouse (http://sunsetph.tripod.com) is a 40 year old community theater run by volunteers under professional direction. Each season consists of a variety of 8 shows.

First Stage Children’s Theater (http://www.firststage.org) has been in operation since 1987 and provides professional theater experiences for young children and families, and a theater academy for young people interested in learning the art of acting and theater production.

Ballet
Since 1970 the Milwaukee Ballet Company (www.milwaukeeballet.org) has consistently offered top notch performances to the extent that it is now ranked among the top twelve ballet companies in the country. Approximately 45 performances per year are enjoyed by at least 70,000 people. The Milwaukee Ballet not only performs but has its own ballet school which is ranked among the top five in the nation.

Opera
For those who love opera, there are few opera companies that can compete with the Florentine Opera Company (www.florentineopera.org). As Milwaukee’s oldest performing arts organization, and as the fifth oldest in the country, it has had a long time to attract its large and loyal following. Not only is the vocal musical experience top quality, but each performance includes elaborate and elegant historically correct sets costumes. The Florentine Opera Chorus has over 60 members and adds a depth and richness to the Opera productions. They are also involved in community outreach productions which bring opera to unique and educational settings.

A visit to Milwaukee is sure to please any art lover and it offers enough wonderful experiences to keep visitors coming back for more!