Photo via Museum of Wisconsin Art
POW-litical Comics - Museum of Wisconsin Art
POW-litical Comics: From Ripon to the RNC
- April 12-July 22
- Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel
- 139 E. Kilbourn Ave.
Presented by the Museum of Wisconsin Art, this display is timed to open before July’s Republican National Convention and taps into the long tradition of comics as political commentary. Approximately 20 comic artists from (or with ties to) Wisconsin will have their work on display in Saint Kate’s gallery, including work by Paul Noth, staff cartoonist for The New Yorker, who is covering this year’s Republican and Democratic conventions for the magazine. After the show’s run downtown, it moves on to Ripon College—Ripon is the birthplace of the Republican Party.
The show opens on April 12 and is free to view, with an opening party April 19, 6-8 p.m. There are also gallery and artist talks on April 20, June 7, June 20 and July 11. More info at wisconsinart.org/exhibitions/comics-and-politics.
Brickworld
- April 13-14
- Wisconsin State Fair Park, Exposition Center, Hall B
- 640 S. 84th St., West Allis
Photo via Brickworld - brickworld.com
Brickworld
LEGO remains a favorite pastime for people of all ages, as highlighted recently with the FOX reality show LEGO Masters. Brickworld is a traveling convention dedicated to fans of LEGO (and similar brick sets like DUPLO). Builders can shop vendors selling specialized bricks and LEGO sets, there’s displays of impressive brick creations from spaceships to sprawling castles. Special build areas allow you to make your own plastic brick masterpieces.
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Brickworld is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, April 13 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, April 14. General admission is $18 advance or $20 at the door. More info and tickets at brickworld.com/brickworld-milwaukee.
Graveyard Gallery III: Lasagna Cat: A Garfield themed pop-up market
Graveyard Gallery 3: Lasagna Cat
- Sunday, April 14
- X-Ray Arcade
- 5036 S. Packard Ave, Cudahy
Cartoonist Jim Davis created the Garfield comic strip in the late ‘70s and the orange cat namesake connected with audiences over his love of laziness and lasagna and his hatred of Mondays. The strip is widely syndicated and has led to movies, cartoon shows and millions of dollars of merchandise. Graveyard Gallery, a pop-up market hosted by Honeycomb Collective have found inspiration in all this for an event where attendees can “shop local from small artists, makers, and crafters all in the name of our beloved feline, Garfield! Expect adorable to chaotic to outright bizarre!”
The market is open 12-5 p.m.; admission is free.
Concinnity 24
Concinnity Convention logo
- Saturday, April 20
- Milwaukee School of Engineering, Diercks Hall
- 1025 N. Milwaukee St.
Concinnity bills itself as “Wisconsin’s longest running anime, gaming, and science fiction convention (since 2001).” A wide range of interests are represented. Special guests include those who have worked in the worlds of video and role-playing games, anime and “Doctor Who.” In addition to gaming, there’s panel discussions, a costume contest, a horror-themed escape room, and miniature model painting, and much more.
The event runs 10am-10pm. Tickets are free for MSOE staff and students and children 13 and under. Other tickets range from $20-$60. More info at concinnitycon.weebly.com.
Milwaukee Zine Fest
Milwaukee Zine Fest logo
- Saturday, April 20
- Milwaukee Central Library
- 814 S. Wisconsin Ave.
In a world increasingly molded by algorithms and artificial intelligence, it’s refreshing to see people create work that they’re passionate about. Zines are small publications, usually photocopied, that reflect the creator’s passions—comics, art, poetry, politics, niche topics, and autobiographical works are folded, stapled and put out there for the world to see. The annual Milwaukee Zine Fest has been the biggest local forum for the art of zine-making since 2008.
This year, the fest, which is produced by The Bindery in partnership with the Milwaukee Public Library, features over 100 creators from Milwaukee and beyond, spread out in Central Library. In addition to perusing work by zinesters, there’s activities, panels and workshops.
MZF runs 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Admission is free. More info at binderymke.com/milwaukeezinefest.
