Gallery Night MKE – an evening of gallery hopping and art viewing – returns Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23, and some locations are especially family-friendly.
This free, two-day art event offers visitors the opportunity to purchase original and local art while visiting Milwaukee’s most dynamic neighborhoods. Admission is free to all venues during event hours.
Gallery Night aims to unite downtown Milwaukee and its surrounding neighborhoods through art. Milwaukee’s vast creative culture will be on display, showcasing art works from photography to sculpture to drawing, painting, and everything in between.
This year, Gallery Night MKE features numerous venues exhibiting art throughout downtown Milwaukee neighborhoods including the Historic Third Ward, East Town, Walker’s Point, and the Menomonee River Valley.
For families with children, Sadler Gallery has an engaging show about dogs and their portraits.
Grove Gallery is working with Islands of Brilliance, an organization serving kids with autism, for their show.
But perhaps the best destination for families with kids is “The Secret Garden” at The Warehouse MKE. The exhibit is an explosion of color, fantasy, and imagination waiting to be explored through paintings, drawings, works on paper, photographs, murals, sculpture, ceramics, and glass.
The gallery space at The Warehouse MKE is completely accessible for small children and strollers. There is also a coloring activity, a reading book for parents and kids to enjoy, and the movie “The Secret Garden” is playing in the background.
“Getting kids – no matter what age – in front of art and showing them creativity in motion is always a great idea,” says Ruth Lawson, Marketing & Communications Director for the Historic Third Ward Association.
“Parents can always call the venues to help figure whether or not the show’s appropriate for their children.”
Couples and families looking to make an evening out of the event can choose to dine at outstanding restaurants, and shop in unique boutiques. Reservations are highly recommended on Friday evening.
The easiest way to plan a Gallery Night MKE experience is to download the “Gallery Night MKE” app in the Apple App or Google Play stores. The app features up-to-date listings, interactive features including an easy to navigate map, information on parking, restaurants, and hotels.
Street parking in downtown Milwaukee is free after 6pm. Rent a Bublr bike or hop on The Hop streetcar to navigate to event venues.
Visit GalleryNightMKE.com online or pick up a detailed brochure at any of the participating venues.
Gallery Night MKE is produced by the Historic Third Ward Association and presented by Laffey, Leitner & Goode, LLC. Special thanks to 2022 event sponsors: 88Nine Radio Milwaukee, The Pfister Hotel, and Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel.
Calie Herbst, Editor-in-Chief of Milwaukee With Kids, has spent over a decade combining her experiences as a parent of three to create a hub for Milwaukee’s family adventures.
Her decade-long teaching career in Milwaukee Public Schools and academic background, including a Master’s in Teaching from Marquette University and dual B.A.s in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, fuel her passion for inclusive and engaging family content.
Calie is also a recognized voice in local media, contributing to WISN Channel 12 News, WTMJ Wisconsin Morning News, Fox 6’s Real Milwaukee, and B93.3.
Discover more about Calie’s journey and editorial approach on her About Page and Editorial Policy Page.
