Thanks for checking out our post about art in Milwaukee. Galleries, museums, supplies, schools, shows, events and more will all be discussed in detail right here.
This intro will be short and sweet because we know your time is valuable. The best local art galleries and museums where you can see the most unique collections in town seem like the most logical place to begin.
You may want to know about the best art stores in town where you can find all the supplies and materials you desire so they will be listed. We also don’t want to forget about the best shows and events this area has to offer.
If you get a sunny day enjoy it by going on an art walking tour or by seeing some of the most unique statues and sculptures near you. Taking group classes or private lessons at one of the nicer art schools in Milwaukee can be a great way to improve your skills quickly.
Renting out an art studio in your area when the time is right to get things moving on your next project could improve your odds of success. Appraisers, dealers, and framing shops will also get their own sections.
The Midwest is an area that we have written about often on our site.
Best Art Galleries & Museums In Milwaukee
If you want to check out the best art galleries and museums in Milwaukee you can head to:
Milwaukee Art Museum is closed on Monday and Tuesday but opens at 10am the rest of the week and they have collected over 30,000 works since they first opened up their doors in the late 1800’s. Children under the age of 12 and local k-12 teachers always are free to enter and throughout the year they hold some popular events that we will discuss more later like the Lakefront Festival of Art, Art in Bloom, and the monthly MAM After Dark.
At Villa Terrace Art Museum you will see creative wrought-iron work that was made by Cyril Colnik if you visit from 10am to 5pm Wednesday through Sunday.
Some of the 1,500 paintings, sculptures, and other works at the Grohmann Museum date back all the way to the 16th Century and you can check them out from 9am to 5pm on weekdays and starting at 12pm on weekends.
There are pieces made by over 600 artists on display at the David Barnett Gallery, most of which are for sale. They are open from 11am to 5:30pm Tuesday to Friday and until 5pm on Saturday and are also a good place to go for appraisals, consultations, restorations, and more art related services near you.
At Gallery 505 they keep regular hours of 10am to 6pm Monday through Friday and 10am to 5pm on Saturday while always putting on different shows, events, and workshops throughout the year.
Tory Folliard Gallery focuses on exhibiting and selling the latest works made by local and regional contemporary artists from 11am to 5pm Tuesday through Friday and from 11am to 4pm on Saturday.
At The Warehouse you will find nearly 4,000 pieces on display as well as more pop-up exhibitions, talks, and programs held throughout the year.
Sadler Gallery has art for sale and can help with consultations and they open at 10am Tuesday through Saturday.
Materials & Supplies Near You
The best stores to buy art supplies and materials in your area are:
The biggest bead store in Wisconsin is probably Planet Bead who not only has every variety of bead for sale that you could ever imagine but they also provide instructional classes to the public.
American Science & Surplus is a good place to buy hard to find art supplies and accessories.
Shows & Events
Some of the top local art shows, festivals, and events would be:
Art in Bloom is hosted by MAM every April when they create art-inspired floral installations that are based of works found in the museum’s vast collection and this celebration of art and nature (plus some great food) is a can’t miss.
Each June the shore of Lake Michigan comes alive for the Lakefront Festival of Art at the Milwaukee Art Museum as artists from across the nation visit to show off their latest works plus there will be lots of food, live music, performances, and more.
The Morning Glory Art Fair can be found in front of the Fiserv Forum in August.
Around a quarter of the 140 or so juried artists who display their latest collections at the Third Ward Art Festival are local Wisconsin artists and the event takes place over Labor Day Weekend each September along Broadway in the Third Ward.
Another great event that MAM puts on is the monthly After Dark parties that take place from 7pm to 11pm.
Art Dealers & Appraisers
Not only does Delind Fine Art Appraisals located at 751 N Jefferson Street acquire, broker, and sell fine art in your area but they can also help with consultation services, appraisals, cleaning, and restorations.
David Barnett Gallery, Gallery 505, Tory Folliard Gallery, Sadler Gallery, and Var Gallery from our best galleries list also sell art near you.
Walking Tours
While not an art walk per se City Tours Mke will take you past the coolest sites to see in the downtown area which means you will see some unique creations.
The Lynden Sculpture Garden in Milwaukee we are about to mention is a great place to see some creative works while walking around in the great outdoors.
Sculptures & Statues
Taking selfies with these sculptures and statues could also be enjoyable:
Lynden Sculpture Garden at 2145 W Brown Deer Rd
Bronze Fonz at N Riverwalk Way
Within the Folds (Dialogue I) at 777 E Wisconsin Ave
Mixed Feelings at 200 E Wells St
Jim’s Head with Branches at 875 E Wisconsin Ave
There are over 50 monumental sculptures at the Lynden Sculpture Garden spread out across over 40 acres of park, woodland, and a lake.
Gerald Sawyer created the Bronze Fonz in 2008 that you can find along the Riverwalk downtown.
A recent addition is Within the Folds (Dialogue I) that Thomas Price created and was put up in 2020 at the plaza deck of the US Bank Building.
Mixed Feelings was sculpted by the famous Tony Cragg and it has sat in front of City Hall since 2010.
The Jim’s Head with Branches sculpture was created in 2018 by Jim Dine.
Milwaukee Art Classes
Whether you are trying to find private lessons or group classes for kids, teens, or adults the best art schools in Milwaukee would be:
People of all ages and skill levels can take classes in drawing, painting, and multimedia sculpture at The Art School.
Children from 1 year old to 10 years old can take the local art lessons at Neighbor Art Studio who also has private classes for anyone.
There are glassblowing group classes, private classes, team-building experiences, or more intense certification classes at Square One Art Glass.
The after-school art classes in your area at Walker’s Point Center for the Arts are free to kids ages 6-12. They also have a Youth Empowerment Month that is filled with workshops based on various forms of creative expression.
The UW Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts has twenty undergraduate and graduate degree programs in fields like art and design, art performance, and music.
There are classes for all ages at Pamela Scesniak plus on Fridays they often have an open studio.
Remember earlier we mentioned that Planet Bead also puts on classes and workshops.
Not only can you get value from the printing and framing services at R & R Art Galleries but they also display local artist’s works for sale.
There are over 1,200 molding samples available at Manders Picture Framing plus everything you may need for DIY framing in your area.
You can get consultations, delivery, artwork installation, and full service framing from Bresler Eitel Framing Gallery.
Other places we have listed throughout the post that also do custom framing in Milwaukee include David Barnett Gallery, Gallery 505, Tory Folliard Gallery, and Sadler Gallery.
The full art scene near you was just broken down in full detail. We listed the best galleries, museums, events, shows, supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers that you may want to check out.
Those who are still reading this probably love art as much as we do. If so go ahead and use the comments to share your own tips or to let us know if you think we got anything wrong.
We hope you enjoy your time at the best Milwaukee art galleries, museums, supply stores, or doing whatever else you plan to do with the info.
This post and all of the posts on our site are edited by Dan Soloman who has been a huge fan of art since he was a little kid. His mother was a good local artist, and she taught him the trade from a very early age. He studied art and its history in both high school and college, has worked at multiple galleries, and recently has begun creating and editing online content for this site and some other online media platforms.
