Free Day + Celebration

Name: Free Day + Celebration
Start: 2026-04-09T10:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-04-09T20:00:00-05:00
Location: 700 N Art Museum Dr, Milwaukee, WI, United States, Wisconsin 53202

Schedule

Thu Apr 09 2026 at 10:00 am to 08:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

700 N Art Museum Dr, Milwaukee, WI, United States, Wisconsin 53202 | Milwaukee, WI

In Honor of Dr. Alfred Bader
Join us for a free day celebrating local legends! Enjoy a full day of activities inspired by all of the Milwaukee gems who make our city the place to be, create, and thrive. Explore Gertrude Abercrombie: The Whole World Is a Mystery, discover the newly installed Modern Wing, wander through the collection galleries, make art, enjoy live performances, and connect with the creative energy that makes this city one-of-a-kind.

Event lineup
Art making | 10 a.m.– 4 p.m.
Ignite your imagination in two art-making zones. In the Kohl’s Art Studio, create an insect inspired by surprising creatures in European still life paintings. In the Milwaukee Room, join Amal Azzam, 2025 Milwaukee Artist of the Year recipient and co-founder of Fanana Banana, for a hands-on “Milwaukee in Arabic” workshop where you’ll learn to write “Milwaukee” in Arabic script, practice forming the flowing shapes of Arabic letters and discover how our city’s name appears in a different language. Along the way, participants will learn that Arabic is written from right to left and will create a finished piece to take home or add to a community wall. No prior experience or knowledge of Arabic is needed—all ages and backgrounds are welcome.
Aaron Boyd + Babbling Babes story time and community gathering | 10:30–11:30 a.m.
Join us for a special story time with artist and illustrator Aaron Boyd, a 2025 Milwaukee Artist of the Year recipient, as he reads from his book Giving Good. After the reading, children will create drawings inspired by the story, and families will have the opportunity to build meaningful connections and community with other parents of children ages 5 and under. Copies of Giving Good will be available for purchase in the Museum Store.
Film screening | 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Watch the 30-minute-long documentary Alfred Bader: Legend: Art, Bible, Chemistry. Screenings begin at half past the hour.
Community engagement fair | 12–7 p.m.
Meet several art organizations from across Milwaukee that carry forward the legacy and values of local legends like Dr. Alfred Bader.
Performance | Noon–1 p.m.
Enjoy a performance by The Amazing Grace Chorus, a community chorus made up of people living with dementia and their caregivers.
Drop-in tour | 3–4 p.m.
Discover works in the collection that highlight Milwaukee’s local heroes, such as the Gertrude Abercrombie & Friends exhibition.
Live DJ | 3–6 p.m.
Groove to music in Windhover Hall as DJ Homer Blow spins an upbeat soundtrack for your afternoon.
Community Conversation: Belonging | 6–7 p.m.
Join us for our annual conversation on “Belonging.” Each year, we investigate the state of belonging—the joys and obstacles to feeling seen, welcomed, and in community. This year’s conversation will focus on the importance of having difficult conversations personally, professionally, and socially. What are the skills we need to have a dialogue across values, politics, and differences? What are the hard things to talk about, and how do we create parameters for having conversations where we collectively listen and honor each other’s humanity? How do we find the conversations that feel “worth it”? Join Jimmy Guitierrez (news reporter, WUWM), Angela Kingsawan (health worker and artist), Monique Liston (Founder, Joyful Militant and Chief Strategist, UBUNTU Research and Evaluation) and co-facilitators Adam Carr (organizer and artist), and Dr. Kantara Souffrant, Senior Director of Community Dialogue and Adult Programs, as we discuss the state of belonging in 2026 and how to have difficult conversations.
This program celebrates the legacy of Dr. Alfred Bader (April 28, 1924–December 23, 2018), whose passion for art and community continues to inspire creativity at the Museum.