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Courtesy Of MMW
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Courtesy Of MMW
With winter finally deciding to show up, now is a good time to consider indoor activities such as visiting museums. Perhaps the weather is good timing for Milwaukee Museum Week, which is now in its second year. The citywide event continues to grow with more participants and events. “One of the biggest changes to the week is that it’s two weekends long,” says Mame McCully, executive director of the Milwaukee County Historical Society and “organizer-in-chief of the event.” “This is our version of a week, so there are two more days of Museum Week fun this year,” she says.
The fun includes numerous activities at the 17 participating museums, which feature programs, tours, workshops, new exhibits and collaborations among them. The museums featured this year are as follows:
- Betty Brinn Children’s Museum
- Charles Allis Art Museum
- Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear
- Discovery World
- Grohmann Museum
- Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University
- Harley-Davidson Museum
- Jewish Museum Milwaukee
- Milwaukee Art Museum
- Milwaukee County Historical Society
- Milwaukee Public Museum
- Mitchell Park Domes
- North Point Lighthouse
- Pabst Mansion
- Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum
- The Warehouse
- Wisconsin Black Historical Society-Museum
Though some of these museums will be closed on Monday, Jan. 20 (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day), the Wisconsin Black Historical Society-Museum will be open with free admission to celebrate “King Fest” from noon-4 p.m. There are plenty of other events planned as well. The Harley-Davidson Museum will also be open on the 20th, offering free admission for those 18 and under with the purchase of an adult ticket, according to the museum’s Tim McCormack.
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On Tuesday, Jan. 21, there will be a special program at the Harley-Davidson Museum that’s included with the price of admission. It’s called “Museum Mystory: Dial M for Motorcycle,” says McCormack, which he describes as “an interactive adventure story inside the museum” where visitors can then “follow cryptic clues, solve puzzles and uncover a mystery through this fun hunt through museum galleries.”
If you’re looking for something that involves storytelling and actual drawing, the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) has just the event. “On Jan. 18 and 25, we will be hosting Story Time in the galleries, where kids and families can hear a story related to a work of art in the museum and then make a drawing inspired by what they have seen and heard,” explains Alana Andrysczyk, MAM’s manager of visitor services. Those looking to get in some physical relaxation during Milwaukee Museum Week can come to MAM for yoga on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 8:15 a.m.
‘A Gentle Kick in the Pants to Get Out and Explore’
One of the biggest benefits of Milwaukee Museum Week is the Member Swap Day, where visitors who are members of designated participating museums can visit free of charge on Sunday, Jan. 26. Just show your membership card and a photo ID at the admissions desk. Museums participating in Member Swap Day include the Milwaukee Public Museum, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, Charles Allis Art Museum and Villa Terrace Art Museum.
Harley-Davidson Museum’s McCormack notes that a number of new visitors attended last year’s inaugural event which then contributed to an increase in museums collaborating with one another this past year; it also saw more locals visiting as well.
“Milwaukeeans often take for granted the many world-class institutions that are found in our own backyard,” McCormack says, adding, “so we hope that Milwaukee Museum Week provides a gentle kick in the pants to get out and explore a new museum, gallery or other participating organization that you haven’t visited or maybe haven’t visited in some time.”
McCully echoes similar sentiments. “Milwaukee’s museums are places for the entire community, and there is something to interest everyone. Our hope is that people come out, learn about museums they didn’t know before or visit ones they haven’t been to in a while.”
With two weekends bookending Milwaukee Museum Week 2020, there’s even more time to see more museums—and thereby to learn more about Milwaukee’s past, present and future.
Milwaukee Museum Week runs Jan. 18-26 at 17 participating museums. Events are open to all ages. For more information, call 414-403-4344 or visit mkemuseumweek.org.
