Author: Editor

Canstruction competition provides help to local food pantry and challenges engineering creativity

A crowd of supporters gathered in the Rotunda at Milwaukee City Hall on December 6 for the judging and awards ceremony of Canstruction sculptures, an annual international charity competition. The Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center (JCC) partnered with Milwaukee City Hall and the Common Council to bring Canstruction back to Milwaukee. The exhibition was on display from December 2 to 7 at City Hall. The unique charitable effort challenged architects, engineers, and builders to design and create giant displays made entirely of canned food. Mayor Tom Barrett and Alderman Russell Stamper were judges of the sculptures,...

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B. Artin Haig: Milwaukee’s 104-year-old master photographer and his journey across lives and images

Known as B. Artin “Bob” Haig, the master photographer who has captured pictures of American presidents was born as Haig Artin Kojababian on August 1, 1914. With a career in images that lasted for decades, Haig took pictures all over the world, but is best known locally for his portraits of Milwaukee’s high society. Haig made his mark in the city during the late 1950s by photographing some of the biggest names in Milwaukee business, including the Uihleins of Schlitz Brewery and the Strattons of Briggs & Stratton. He has immortalized many prominent national figures such as the Rockefellers,...

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Site of the only documented lynching in Milwaukee designated as a County Landmark

The Milwaukee County Historical Society (MCHS) officially added two new Milwaukee County landmarks during its November 27 annual meeting, including the lynching site of George Marshall Clark. The Historical Society is the only organization empowered to designate landmarks for Milwaukee County. The public was invited to nominate new properties to be considered for 2018, with a May deadline. That was followed by a review board inspection and evaluation of the proposed sites, with a public hearing for the candidate sites in August. As a result of the deliberations, the two 2018 landmarks will be: Woman’s Club of Wisconsin, 813...

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Worst kids in history make this year’s First Stage show the best Christmas pageant ever

A fun and new musical adaptation of an audience favorite comes to First Stage this holiday season. The 90 minute live-stage performance of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical” runs from November 23 to December 26 at the Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater, located at 929 N. Water Street in downtown Milwaukee Created by the talented husband and wife team of Jahnna Beecham and Malcolm Hillgartner and based on the play by Barbara Robinson, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical is filled with catchy, 1960s-inspired original music and a delightful story that both young and old will...

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Sandra Parks shared “Our Truth” as a child victim on the state of chaos from gun violence

Editor’s Note: For the past three years I have photographed the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration at Uihlein Hall of the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. I have seen young students share their passion for social justice on stage, then return again the following year with more wisdom and determination. It was encouraging to watch these students, with their whole future ahead of them, and wonder about the trajectory of their lives. Sandra Parks was one such student. She participated in the 2016-17 event, and won third place for her essay. After reviewing the many...

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