Lee Matz, Author at Milwaukee Independent

White House Summit to spotlight Milwaukee for water innovation

Posted by Lee Matz | Mar 22, 2016 |

“Milwaukee is the Silicon Valley of water innovation right now.” – Ali Zaidi The Obama Administration will host the first-ever White House Water Summit during World Water Day to raise awareness of the national importance of water. As part of the March 22 meeting, the City of Milwaukee will announce that the International Water Association will be establishing its first North American regional office in Milwaukee. The city will also introduce a new partnership with the Water Council, the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, and Marquette University. The aim of this collaboration will be to build or attract water-focused...

A love of Japanese culture: How Anime silently desegregates Milwaukee

Posted by Lee Matz | Mar 16, 2016

It is easy to miss signs of progress in race relations when perennial headlines overwhelmingly lament Milwaukee as being the most segregated city in America. But there is a small success story that has gone completely under the radar, mostly because it has happened organically and is not a result of organized civic mandates. It also involves a subject for which the general public has traditionally lacked a deep understanding. What achieved this bridge between the racial gulfs in Milwaukee was the exposure over the past decade to a foreign pop culture phenomenon called Anime. The result of this...

Photo Essay: Highlights from Anime Milwaukee 2016

Posted by Lee Matz | Mar 16, 2016

Highlights from the 2016 Anime Milwaukee, the three-day convention dedicated to the anime and gaming communities.

Industry celebrities a big attraction at AMKE

Posted by Lee Matz | Mar 16, 2016 |

Anime Milwaukee was the official location for the filming of Wicked World Otaku. Written and directed by Japanese artist Ayumi Tanaka, the survival-horror film is an original story inspired by classic Japanese pink films and b-movie thrillers. Visitors were encouraged to watch the actual shooting of a movie and be cosplayer background extras. Industry celebrities in voice acting, writing, and illustration included: Todd Haberkorn, Russell Lissau, Alan Evans, Trevor Mueller, Kyle Herbert, Sonny Strait, Lauren Landa, Brina Palencia, Ashley Erickson, Gabriel Bautista, and Kelly Main. “Anime Milwaukee did fantastic this year. As far as attendance is concerned, we got more than...

Photo Essay: 50 Years of Irish tradition

Posted by Lee Matz | Mar 14, 2016 |

The 2016 parade featured more than 140 units including floats, Irish and Celtic dancers, bagpipe and marching bands, civic leaders, and local business sponsors. 1966 started the first of what has been a fifty year tradition in Milwaukee with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, produced by the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin. But the institution itself began in 1843, and predates both the incorporation of the State of Wisconsin and the City of Milwaukee. The first recorded parade was actually part of a temperance rally. Crowds and People Watching Half the fun of viewing the St. Patrick’s Day parade is...

Photo Essay: The day Obama came to town

Posted by Lee Matz | Mar 4, 2016 |

“And you’ve made Milwaukee a model for the nation, and you’re proof that the Affordable Care Act works.” A purely pictorial chronicle of President Obama’s address in Milwaukee on February 3. The event included elected officials, civic leaders, and the general public who all shared in the celebration of the city winning the Presidential Healthy Communities Challenge. The beauty of photojournalism is that the images tell the story. Members of the audience included: John W. Daniels Jr., Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Former United States Senator Herb Kohl, Ricardo Diaz, Keith Stanley, Representative David Bowen, Alderman Nik Kovac, Alderman José Pérez,...