Author: Correspondent

Students who were forced to step out of their studies at Milwaukee Area Technical College between December 2004 and May 2019 due to debt owed to the college have an opportunity to return, thanks to a scholarship program called MATC ReStart. In its second year, MATC ReStart helps eligible returning students repay up to $1,500 of past-due balances owed the college for expenses such as tuition, books, and other fees. They must apply by August 2 and fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) or create a payment plan at program orientation. “Our research showed that...

The Riverworks Development Corporation, a neighborhood-based nonprofit known for its economic and community development initiatives on Milwaukee’s north side, announced on May 13 that the Riverworks Financial Clinic would expand to help more people overcome barriers to financial empowerment. The growth is the result of cross-sector partnerships galvanized to address the lingering financial hardships experienced by residents due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The expansion is a part of Riverworks’ broader vision of building wealth and prosperity in the Harambee, Riverwest, and surrounding communities. “Over the last year, the pandemic exacerbated existing needs of Milwaukee residents – especially black and...

The extensive impact of Spanish art and culture on American painters in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries will be the focus of “Americans in Spain: Painting and Travel, 1820–1920,” a new exhibition opening June 11 at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The exhibition, which the Museum co-organized with the Chrysler Museum of Art, in Norfolk, Virginia, highlights prominent American artists such as Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri and John Singer Sargent, who traveled to Spain for training and to study the old masters at the Prado Museum in Madrid. More than 100 paintings, photographs and prints will...

Milwaukee Rep’s new ED&I strategic plan REP Forward and Chief Diversity Officer Tammy Belton-Davis received the inaugural Governor’s Tourism Award for Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI). The award recognizes demonstrated leadership in raising awareness, or facilitating change, to build a more inclusive and welcoming environment for visitors to Wisconsin. The award was presented on May 6 during the virtual 2021 Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism (WIGCOT). Belton-Davis joined Milwaukee Rep’s leadership team as one of the first DEAI executive leaders at a cultural organization in the country. She created a plan and systems to ensure that as one...

Marcia L. Fudge, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), announced the allocation of nearly $5 billion in American Rescue Plan funds to help communities across the country create affordable housing and services for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. Nearly $90 million was awarded to regions across Wisconsin, with more than $20 million specifically for Milwaukee. Secretary Fudge released the news on April 12 during a Zoom call with U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (OH), Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Birmingham, Alabama Mayor Randall Woodfin. The supplemental funding was allocated through the HOME...