Photo credit: Cole Vandermause
If you’ve spent any time in the Historic Third Ward, you’ve experienced the wash of culture that makes the high-end arts district stand out amongst the city’s neighborhoods. Now it is time to let the rest of the country learn about what makes the Third Ward special, as it has been nominated by USA Today in consideration for “Best Arts District” in their 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Voting is open now and runs through Monday, July 4 at 11 a.m.
It will be no easy task for Milwaukee, as 20 arts districts around the country have been selected to make the final vote. That includes entrants from thriving art scenes in major cities like New York and San Francisco, as well as emerging cultural hotbeds like Denver and Memphis. Milwaukee is not the lone district from the Midwest, either; the Wabash Arts Corridor in Chicago as well as the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District in Minnesota are also in the running. A strong vote from readers can help push them past the competition, though, to emerge among the 10 best districts in the nation.
The arts are certainly a core tenant of the Historic Third Ward, anchored by the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Skylight Music Theater, and the relatively new addition of the MARN Art + Culture hub on Broadway. Numerous galleries are interspersed amongst retail in the neighborhood, and there’s likely at least one artist amongst the residents at many of the lofts above the ground level of most buildings as well. When you factor in events like Gallery Night MKE, as well as the annual Third Ward Art Fair, and proximity to the Milwaukee Art Museum, many of the components are in place for the Historic Third Ward to be considered as a leader nationwide.
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To help the Historic Third Ward receive their national acclaim as the top arts district in the nation, you can vote once per day on the USA Today’s 10Best website. The winning district will be announced on Friday, July 15.
