Milwaukee, WI
Celebrating 250 years of independence through Milwaukee’s immigrant narratives
MILWAUKEE — This Fourth of July marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which created the United States of America.
In honor of that milestone, the Milwaukee County Historical Society is launching a new exhibit, “We the People: Milwaukee Stories of Immigration, Citizenship, and Community,” on June 12.
“This is the perfect opportunity to maybe tell a story that isn’t always told,” said Ben Barbera, executive director and president of the Milwaukee County Historical Society. “We can’t necessarily talk about the founding fathers. There weren’t many Revolutionary War battles here. But we can tell a story that is essential to the country.”
That story showcases the real people who came from all over the world for a better life — people who, over time, helped shape the country into what it is today.
The story starts with those who were here first.
“The Indigenous populations of Wisconsin, because without them being pushed out and forced out, we wouldn’t have immigration come to this space,” said Olivia Hoff, community programs manager for the Milwaukee County Historical Society.
The exhibit features photos and artifacts dating back centuries.
“This is a sewing kit that was made from clothing that was worn by people who came here from England,” said Janean VanBeckum, curator of the exhibit. “They were Puritans being persecuted. They came in, settled on the East Coast, and then their family moved here.”
Families from Germany, Poland, Italy and Ireland followed. Decades later, there was a surge of immigrants from Latin America, Asia and parts of Africa.
“When you start the exhibit, you get an identification card of an immigrant,” said VanBeckum. “It’s based on real immigrants, but not any particular person, and you can go around and choose your own adventure to kind of see what happens to your immigrant’s life as they move through the process of coming here and either becoming a citizen or not becoming a citizen.”
The experience includes audio recordings from people who immigrated to Milwaukee and their children.
“This is the humanistic story,” said Hoff. “It really generates empathy too because you are hearing it from the people themselves.”
The exhibit also highlights people who came to the Milwaukee area from within the United States. A major part of Milwaukee’s history is the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the Midwest in the mid-20th century. That history is documented in “We the People.”
Overall, the team at the Milwaukee County Historical Society hopes the new exhibit reminds people of their similarities and shared home as the nation turns 250.
“People can realize that everyone has a similar scope of their life and that we all may be struggling to fight some of the same battles, and that by working together, creating a civic discourse, we can be less divided.”
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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