Milwaukee, WI
5 things to know and do the week of June 24 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Join VIA Community Development Corp. to examine infrastructure and the conditions of buildings that are along public sidewalks. During this walk, you can also network with neighbors, business owners, neighborhood groups and others. It will take place from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 24 at 3524 W. National Ave. More information here.
You are invited to the Mil-Book-ee Book Club, led by the Milwaukee County Historical Society, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, June 24 at 910 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. You will read and discuss a book called, “Finding Freedom: The Untold Story of Joshua Glover, Runaway Slave.” You may bring your own copy of the book or purchase one at the gift shop. More information here.
Green Tech Station invites you to volunteer for a land conservation day. You will pick up trash, prune trees and more. Work will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 26 at 4101 N. 31st St. Lunch and tools will be provided. Registration is required. More information here.
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From 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 27, teens are invited to personalize a necklace or keychain with a constellation of stars and enjoy music at the Milwaukee Public Library Zablocki Branch, 3501 W. Oklahoma Ave. Materials will be provided. More information here.
In observance of National HIV Testing Day, the City of Milwaukee Health Department, Greater Than HIV and Walgreens are partnering to provide free rapid HIV testing and resources to the public. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 27 at 6442 N. 76th St. More information here.
People of all faiths and no faith, all spiritualities and theologies are invited to participate in a moderated discussion about their lived experiences and the role of faith and/or no spirituality in their lives. This discussion will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26 at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 2812 W. Wisconsin Ave. Register here. More information here.
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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