Lee Matz, Author at Milwaukee Independent

Hip-Hop Week kicks off as an immersive music and cultural platform for civic engagement

Posted by Lee Matz | Aug 22, 2018 |

The Miller High Life Theater hosted a news conference with Alderman Khalif J. Rainey and community leaders on August 20 to launch Hip-Hop Week MKE, the first official city-wide event of its kind. The inaugural event runs from August 20 to August 26 at various venues around Milwaukee. Alderman Rainey, who sponsored the successful legislation that created Hip-Hop Week MKE, invited the public to attend and be a part of the historic launch. Programming includes sessions on health and wellness, employment opportunities, financial literacy, civic engagement, and live musical performances. “The idea for Hip-Hop Week MKE is to take...

Design makes the difference at John Michael Kohler Arts Center

Posted by Lee Matz | Aug 20, 2018 |

The John Michael Kohler Arts Center opened a $13 million addition in 1999, tripling its space to showcase visual and performing arts, with ten galleries, a theater, performance spaces, studio-classrooms, and rotating exhibitions of contemporary work by international and emerging talent. With more than 20,000 individual pieces of art, the collection focuses primarily on works by artist-environment builders, self-taught and folk artists, and works developed in its residency program. The art center is also known for its artist-created public toilets, which cultural historian Barbara Penner uses as the introduction to her 2013 book “Bathroom.” Situated 57 miles north of...

Milwaukee officially declared a Purple Heart City and County on medal’s 236th anniversary

Posted by Lee Matz | Aug 14, 2018 |

The Milwaukee County War Memorial Center hosted a ceremony to honor veterans wounded in combat on Purple Heart Day, August 7. The annual observance commemorates the creation of the Purple Heart Medal on August 7, 1782 by the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, General George Washington. Then known as the Badge of Military Merit, it was awarded to three Revolutionary soldiers in 1783. Wisconsin has previously been declared a Purple Heart State, a designation that offered medal recipients special benefits in recognition. This year, both the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County declared Purple Heart status in official declarations....

Master swimmers compete at first ever Milwaukee River race in Cream City Classic

Posted by Lee Matz | Aug 13, 2018 |

Milwaukee Water Commons, in partnership with Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Harbor District, and Wisconsin Sea Grant, held the first ever open water swim in the Milwaukee River on August 11. A total of 72 master swimmers completed the historical swim, bringing attention to the sizable efforts made over the years on the river’s cleanup. Not since the early days of Milwaukee’s founding, before the waterways were used to support industry, have residents used the river for recreational activity, and they did so further up stream. The 2018 Cream City Classic’s 1.5 mile course started where the Milwaukee River meets Lake Michigan,...

Historical designation for George Marshall Clark’s lynching site moves forward after public hearing

Posted by Lee Matz | Aug 9, 2018 |

The Milwaukee County Historical Society (MCHS) hosted a public hearing on August 8 to discuss three nominations for historically significant landmarks, with the 1861 lynching of George Marshall Clark attracting a lot attention and passionate support from the attending crowd. The editorial board of the Milwaukee Independent nominated the George Marshall Clark lynching site in May, for consideration in the Milwaukee County Historical Society’s annual designation of significant landmarks. Award winning columnist Reggie Jackson has previously written about the Clark incident and other related subjects. He also has a special connection to America’s Black Holocaust Museum in Bronzeville and...

Waveriders greet the summer sunrise with “Wiloha” surf culture

Posted by Lee Matz | Aug 8, 2018 |

Atwater Beach in Shorewood once again provided a scenic spot for the 6th annual Surf @Water fundraiser on August 4, as a celebration of the Great Lakes surf culture and the primary drive for supporting the Surfrider Foundation-Milwaukee. With Sheboygan holding the honorary title of “surfing capitol of the Midwest,” Milwaukee’s growing freshwater surfing culture is no longer a well-kept secret. Surf @Water has created lasting memories and enhanced the love of our Great Lake for hundreds of children, families, and people of all ages for the past five years. Surfrider-Milwaukee is part of a network consisting of 81...