Author: Editor

Rise and Thrive: Brianna Joy Seipel creates landscapes of witness at the crossroads of art and allyship

This multi-part editorial series was based on the “Rise and Thrive: A Lives in Landscape Exhibition” created by Milwaukee artist Brianna Joy Seipel. The project was produced in partnership with LOTUS Legal Clinic and the Untold Stories program. https://mkeind.com/riseandthrive Whether we encounter wild beauty, quiet poetry, or raw power, artist Brianna Joy Seipel believes that we draw strength from the natural world and the stories of others. With a goal to highlight the resiliency, courage, and indomitable spirit of survivors of sexual violence, her debut show – Rise and Thrive: A Lives in Landscape™ Exhibition – explores the life...

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Faith Identity: What the “traditionalist denomination” split means for a Methodist Church in Milwaukee

Leadership of the United Methodist Church (UMC) announced a plan on January 3 to split the denomination, as a result of what it called “fundamental differences” over doctrine related to same-sex marriage. With at least 12 million members, the UMC is the largest denomination within the wider Methodist movement of 80 million people across the world, and the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States. The proposal would create a “traditionalist Methodist” denomination, with the existing 236 year old church moving to a more inclusive position and acceptance of homosexuality. Under the plan the new denomination would be...

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Music, technology, and Christmas cheer combine at Cathedral Square Park to help end homelessness

Holiday visitors in Cathedral Square Park were treated to virtual Christmas carols from Sarah Fierek and Lex Allen, at the Singing Tree beginning on December 21. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Sarah Fierek, featuring Chris Crain, and “Without You Here” by Lex Allen were “dropped” by the geolocation-based music platform AudioDrops. The technology creates a convergence of the digital and physical worlds by adding a location layer on top of streaming services like Spotify and Soundcloud. It enables anyone to “drop” a piece of audio content at a specific spot, making it a special musical destination. New...

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Video promo shows how MCTS helps Lex Allen unlock an inner creativity while getting around town

In a low key social media campaign, the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) dropped an inspiring promotion on December 13. The video features Milwaukee’s music legend Lex Allen. The premise of the video is simple, riding the bus allows Allen time to be creative. Soon after boarding a bus on North Avenue of Milwaukee’s east side, presumably the Gold Line, Allen begins composing lyrics in his notebook. That gives way to an artistic daydream of a performance for fellow riders. “I’ve been taking this bus for as long as I can remember. The bus was a convenient form of...

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Michael Bloomberg visits Milwaukee to open campaign office as 2020 Democratic candidate for president

Opening his first political campaign office in Wisconsin, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg met with Milwaukee voters in the Third Ward and Walker’s Point on December 21 during his stop in Milwaukee as a Democratic Presidential candidate. Just under a month since announcing his bid for the presidency, Bloomberg said that he was working to restore Wisconsin as a blue state. After Philadelphia and Detroit, Milwaukee was the final city of his whistle-stop campaign of battleground states that Democrats lost to Trump in 2016. “Our campaign is going to make Wisconsin a top priority. Not starting in the...

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Community leaders reject SB 151 as State Senators promote it to embolden hatred against immigrants

Wisconsin’s largest grassroots immigrant rights organization Voces de la Frontera held a press conference with allies on December 17 at the State Capitol, prior to members giving testimony on the issue of Senate Bill 151. “This is a bill that was introduced in 2011, 2016, and 2017, and has been resoundingly rejected by Wisconsinites. The only driving agenda behind these national copycat bills is the private prison industry. It is shameful that as Christmas approaches, this is the kind of bill that would be introduced. This is a bill that separates families, and it promotes racial profiling. It goes...

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