“Good fences make good neighbors,” Robert Frost once wrote, expressing a view that was not his own. Doors Open Milwaukee would likely have been more to Frost’s taste. The seventh annual September event finds more than 150 buildings in Downtown Milwaukee and its surrounding neighborhoods in their most hospitable mode.
Doors Open Milwaukee takes place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23-24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. A visit to the event’s website—doorsopenmilwaukee.org—is necessary to make the most of the experience, but a few arts-related experiences are worth keeping in mind.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Bay View Printing Co., which houses a dozen antique letterpresses and a collection of more than 300 typefaces. The historic company will offer guided tours, a community gallery exhibit and a new mural created by 10 local artists in celebration of Doors Open.
David Barnett’s venerable gallery is noteworthy not only for the size of its collection (some 6,000 works) but for the works’ sheer variety: pieces by Salvador Dali and Marc Chagall peaceably co-exist with African sculptures in the vicinity of vintage French posters. Staff will be on hand during Doors Open to answer questions and to hold smelling salts under the noses of people who have inquired about prices.
The lovely tin-roofed and Cream City brick constructed H.C. Anton Building originally housed a grocery store. Today it is home to Our Daily Salt, a purveyor of handcrafted items for the home such as Wisconsin-shaped cutting boards, which are crafted in the woodworking shop in the back of the building.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
Maker Faire Milwaukee
Wisconsin State Fair Park
640 S. 84th St.
Maker Faire bills itself as the “Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth,” and they might be on to something. More than 200 makers—entrepreneurs, futurists, tinkerers and mad (albeit not evil) scientists—will grace the grounds of Wisconsin State Fair Park on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23-24. The family friendly event features an attempt to secure the Guinness World Record for gathering of Daleks (it’s a Doctor Who thing), cutting-edge research in 3D printing, an invitation to build and race small electric vehicles, a jellyfish-inspired light-based art installation and much more. Admission is free when you register online at milwaukee.makerfaire.com.
