Milwaukee, WI
Is the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee? Here’s the city’s role in the week
Kamala Harris officially becomes 2024 Democratic nominee for president
After roll call at the DNC in Chicago, Kamala Harris received Democrats’ nomination for her as president at a rally in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee and southern Wisconsin have played a major role in this year’s presidential election.
Between hosting the 2024 Republican National Convention in July and a Kamala Harris campaign rally Aug. 20, it makes sense why some Milwaukeeans might be wondering if the Democratic National Convention is coming to town.
The answer is no, the DNC is not taking place in Milwaukee. It’s happening about 90 miles away in Chicago from Aug. 19 through Aug. 22.
Still, important players in the election have stopped by the Milwaukee area this week to campaign in Wisconsin, a key swing state likely to play a big role in who wins the election. A few hours before Harris’ widely attended Fiserv Forum rally kicked off, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance spoke in front of the Kenosha County Courthouse ― his third visit to Wisconsin since he was named Donald Trump’s running mate at the RNC.
Although Milwaukee isn’t hosting this year’s DNC, residents may remember that the city was slated to host the Democratic convention in 2020 before COVID-19 pandemic restrictions forced the 2020 DNC to scale back to a largely virtual event at the Wisconsin Center (now the Baird Center).
Here’s what to know about the year’s DNC.
Where is the Democratic National Convention?
The 2024 Democratic National Convention is taking place in Chicago from Monday, Aug. 19 through Thursday, Aug. 22. The United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks, is hosting the convention’s major evening events and speeches.
Each day of the convention includes a full schedule of events for delegates, but the main programming of the DNC takes place from about 6 to 10 p.m. each night of the convention. Official daytime business, meetings and briefings are taking place at McCormick Place, another convention center in downtown Chicago.
More: How to watch and stream the 2024 Democratic National Convention
What is the Democratic National Convention?
The DNC is a weeklong event where Democratic delegates from each state officially select the party’s nominees for president and vice president.
Traditionally, delegates vote at the convention for the nominee, but DNC organizers held a virtual vote this year to confirm Vice President Kamala Harris as the nominee ahead of the convention. Harris also announced her vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, prior to the convention.
Like the RNC, well-known political figures and celebrities are expected to speak and be in attendance at the DNC. So far, highlights from the convention have included speeches from President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
More: Takeaways from DNC Day 2: Obamas blast Trump, Tony Evers’ face plant and Lil Jon
More: After RNC spotlight, Milwaukee Democrats Cavalier Johnson and David Crowley head to DNC
Milwaukee, WI
Squire Robinson leads a new generation of Milwaukee artists with his distinctly bold style
In a cavernous attic studio stands Squire Robinson.
Next to him on the ground is an unfinished painting of his. Hung above him are numerous paintings that he’s finished in the past year.
The walls are filled with works of art, crafted by the various artists who also call 100% MKE, a nonprofit arts studio and workspace at 217 N. Broadway, home.
Robinson’s art doesn’t just stand among them – it stands out.
Maybe it’s the saturated reds that prevail in each of his pieces.
Maybe it’s the bold strokes that create the even bolder figures that call his paintings home.
Either way, Robinson’s art has a tangible effect for those with the eyes to see.
“Sometimes the most important piece of art is that you feel. His art makes you feel,” Richard Badger Jr. said. Badger, who goes by the artist name Coyote Rich, is also an artist in residence at 100% MKE.
Robinson first fell in love with art through his grandfather, who painted signs for corner stores. Early memories of drawing contests with his grandfather enchanted Squire into the art world.
Later, Robinson drew comics and superhero characters, foreshadowing the powerful figures he paints today.
“My style has always been there, it’s just evolution, it grows and changes,” Robinson said.
Robinson, a 2024 graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, has always had a certain fascination with Renaissance-era paintings.
Yet despite his appreciation of the style, something was missing.
“I appreciated the technique and skill, but I just couldn’t really relate to it,” Robinson said.
For him, the lack of diversity made the style feel distant.
Black culture in art
Now, Robinson’s style flows through the powerful Black people he paints.
“I took some of that flavor and remixed it to something that is more me,” Robinson said. “My inspiration comes from Black culture, music and my dreams.”
Robinson’s own personality is vehemently present in each of his pieces.
“His art has a very strong personality behind it,” said Nelle Speerschneider, a co-founding board member of 100% MKE.
By the end of a lengthy creative process, Robinson’s pieces are saturated with color and shapes that make viewers stop and stare. For Robinson, that’s the goal.
“To me, good art is when you can just stare at it and sit with it and think,” Robinson said. “If you see my work and walk right past it, then I didn’t do something right.”
Music and the flow state
Robinson said when he is met with a blank canvas, he doesn’t begin with a person or a setting; he starts with the mood. Then, with the help of music, he lets his art flow.
“I don’t try to contain the style, it’s just all me,” Robinson said.
Music is a big deal for Robinson. So much so that he can’t paint without it. Robinson’s taste in music, from classical and jazz to his love for Kendrick Lamar, seeps into his art.
“Squire’s art makes me feel like music,” Badger said.
Robinson said music helps him loosen up and get out of a funk.
“It helps me escape and enter that flow state,” Robinson said.
He said music supports his ethereal creative process.
“Sometimes when I paint, I feel like I’m being guided by something higher than me,” Robinson said.
Milwaukee made
As a young figure in the Milwaukee art scene, Robinson wears the city on his sleeve.
“Growing up in Milwaukee made me hard in the sense of staying true to myself,” Robinson said.
At 100% MKE, Robinson offers a unique voice. “It’s nice to have his youthful and urban take in the studio,” Speerschneider said.
Badger said young artists like Robinson are vital for pushing the scene forward.
“They’re the driving force of what Milwaukee looks and feels like,” he said.
Future goals
Going forward, Robinson wants to become an art therapist, someone who uses the medium of art to process emotional challenges.
“Art has always been a way to self-express and get my own feelings out,” Robinson said. “That’s why the tone of my paintings matters the most, because those feelings are what I’m trying to evoke.”
As for his art career, Robinson says his finest work is yet to come.
“I haven’t created my best one yet.”
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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Milwaukee, WI
Post From Community: Laughing Liberally Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
The Brewers drafted 20 players over the course of 20 rounds in the 2026 MLB Draft, including first-round shortstop Trey Ebel, second-round outfielder Sawyer Strosnider, Wilmot Union HS (Wisconsin) shortstop Chance Ruby, and CC Sabathia’s son, first baseman Carsten Sabathia III. The team now has until 4 p.m. CT on July 27 to sign each draft pick. We’ll keep track of the signees below.
Milwaukee’s total signing bonus pool is $8,042,900, which can be allocated as the team chooses (i.e., slot bonuses are not the guaranteed signing value). Rounds 11-20 automatically have $150,000 allocated to the slot — money given to these picks only counts toward the bonus pool if they exceed $150,000. Teams that exceed their bonus pool face financial penalties, with higher thresholds resulting in the loss of future picks.
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