Civilian Beauty Grooming & Education

Fri: 12-8 p.m., Sat: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
550 N. Van Buren St.

Tied in Rhythm: Ellen Knots Macrame with Soundscape by Jaqui J

A study in structure, softness and the spaces between; where fiber meets frequency. Artist reception 6-8 p.m. Friday.

Charles Allis Art Museum

Fri: 5-8 p.m., Sat: 12-4 p.m.
1801 N. Prospect Ave.

MIAD 2026 Senior Exhibition

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) and Charles Allis Art Museum are honored to partner in showcasing MIAD’s 2026 Senior Exhibition: “Challenging Expectations, Finding Awe.” The exhibition features pieces from more than 50 Fine Art & New Studio Practice majors. It is the first showing of Senior Exhibition works beyond MIAD’s campus.

Creative Counseling of Milwaukee

Fri: 5-8 p.m.
2266 N. Prospect Ave., Suite 204

As We Dance through Life

Throughout her life, poet/artist/activist Suzanne Rosenblatt has loved dancing. Along the way, she sketched and painted dancers in their fluid and lively flow. View her pen and ink and watercolor sketches that capture the beauty of dancing through life.

Our Creative Spirit Soars

Creating art can bring joy, solace, healing and growth — all at the same time! Come see paintings by Creative Counseling clients whose vivid and arresting works attest to the enduring creative spirit we all possess.

David Barnett Gallery

Fri: 5-9 p.m., Sat: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
1024 E. State St.

The Power of The Poster

The modern poster dates back to the 1840s when the printing industry perfected color lithography and allowed for mass production. The 1890’s were the golden age of the poster, when artists such as Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Jules Chéret, and Alphonse Mucha elevated the advertising vehicle to an art form with new lithographic techniques and innovative typography. David Barnett Gallery’s exhibition presents posters ranging from the historical beginnings of the format to the present day. Viewers can experience the historical progression of the poster while recognizing advertising as an art form.

David Barnett Gallery Attic

Fri: 5-9 p.m., Sat: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
1024 E. State St.

The Attic of Curiosities, Art of Whimsey and Wonder

From the whimsical to the wonderful, The Rogues Artists are presenting their most curious works in The Attic at David Barnett Gallery. Ravens, impish faeries, funky folk art, Hawaiian sea turtles, pink pianos, airstream trailers – it’s all in this exhibition of peculiar and delightful work. Meet the artists & pick up some awesome swag.

Duotone Modern

Fri: 5-9 p.m., Sat: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
534 N. Water St.

Art From Design

Three local artists – all graphic designers – will be displaying their personal works in an eclectic and diverse mix of visual approaches. Featuring CJ Foeckler (photography), Christina Persika (painting/illustration), and Jim Yale (painting). On display Friday night and during regular store hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Eucalyptus & Company

Fri: 5-9 p.m., Sat: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
800 E. Chambers St.

Ceramics & Contemporary Works

Explore a curated selection of ceramic pieces and mixed-media artwork in an open gallery setting.

Grohmann Museum at MSOE

Fri: 5-8 p.m., Sat: 12-6 p.m.
1000 N. Broadway

Dave Clay’s Industrial Atmospheres

Milwaukee native Dave Clay is an artist, software architect, engineer, and musician. Now hailing from Seattle, he works in a variety of media including digital collage, metal, large-scale interactive sculpture, and painting. Among his diverse body of work, Clay’s industrial landscapes stand out as particularly novel and captivating. Though he works in a high-tech field, he is both drawn to and moved by the most elemental of industrial processes. Clay’s industrial paintings are at once exquisite, shadowy, and other-worldly. They provide a virtual sensory experience, in which we not only see, but can almost feel the heat and smell the steam and smoke of the mills, foundries, and forge shops he captures. These industrial landscapes and interiors are a compelling start to our 2026 exhibition season.

Historic Milwaukee

Fri: 5-8 p.m., Sat: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
235 E. Michigan St.

Historic Milwaukee Featuring Photography by Nate Vomhof

The Historic Milwaukee, Inc. Store will host a special exhibition featuring the photography of Nate Vomhof. Located in the heart of downtown, the Store transforms into a gallery space for the evening, inviting guests to experience Milwaukee through Vomhof’s lens. His work showcases this city in a way that can make anyone proud to call this place home, highlighting its architecture, energy, and character through breathtaking aerial perspectives. Drop in during Gallery Night to experience his work in person, explore unique Milwaukee-themed gifts, and enjoy art in a vibrant community setting.

Kenilworth Square East Gallery

Fri: 4-7 p.m.
2155 N. Prospect Ave.

Gathering | Place

The 2026 Art & Design MFA Thesis Exhibition showcases thesis projects by the MFA in Art & Design candidates from the graduating class of 2026 at the Peck School of the Arts. MFA candidates explore a variety of artistic practices and mediums, including creative technologies; digital fabrication; jewelry and metal smithing; painting and drawing; photography and imaging; printmaking and book arts; sculpture; and installation. Through their works, individual MFA candidates investigate themes such as memory, environment, domesticity, and identity, among others.

Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel

Fri: 5-8 p.m., Sat: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
139 E. Kilbourn Ave.

A Collective Underpainting

Saint Kate’s Artist in Residence Julia Bradfish invites you to become an artist by adding to a communal underpainting. Just as Bradfish unifies the randomized materials and information she works with in her practice, she will use the contributions created by participants during Gallery Night MKE to develop a finished piece. The piece will remain on display so visitors can check on its progress and see the final work displayed in her studio.

The Pfister Hotel

Fri: 5-9 p.m., Sat: 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
424 E. Wisconsin Ave.

Studio Exhibition & Painting Demo

In The Pfister Hotel’s Artist-in-Residence studio, Sasha Kinens invites guests to experience her refreshed creative space. Watch painting demos and experience the creative process in real time as she showcases her welcoming, personal pieces.

Village Church Arts

Fri: 5-9 p.m., 1-3 p.m.
130 E. Juneau Ave.

Art by Jules Follett

Jules Follett is a resident of the Third Ward. Drawing on decades of creative mastery and an insatiable love of travel, she now crafts striking visual stories. From trains to yachts, helicopters to cruise ships, Jules has traveled across continents, gathering a kaleidoscope of imagery for her artwork. Through photography and digitally enhanced compositions, Jules creates immersive imagery that blends real-world landscapes with modern artistic techniques on canvas and fabric with her clothing line Trips Around The World Clothing.

Woman’s Club of Wisconsin

Fri: 5-8 p.m.
813 E. Kilbourn Ave.

WCW Presents Janet Roberts

Meet Janet Roberts, an award-winning Wisconsin artist recognized for her portrait and still-life paintings. Roberts lived and exhibited in the Chicago area for 15 years; spent time in London, where she was juried into the Royal Academy of Art’s 212th Summer Exhibition; and has flourished as an artist in the Milwaukee area. Roberts has been in over 100 exhibitions and had over two dozen solo shows in galleries and museums across the Midwest. She has also received countless awards and accolades for her paintings because of their distinct style. Inspired by her parents’ generation, Roberts paints faces and figures often in front of vintage fabrics and old rolls of wallpaper. The artist has used photography found in antique stores as her point of departure. The nostalgia of an earlier era is implied in her Retro Portrait series and in her portraits of groups of primarily women. Along with nostalgia come the past era’s gender roles and expectations, yet Roberts reminds us of the strength of women in her works — like Ready to Kick Glass, 2022.

Woodland Pattern

Fri: 4-7 p.m., Sat: 12-7 p.m.
720 E. Locust St.

Art That Keeps on Singing: Work by Anne Kingsbury

“For more than 60 years, I have been a working/exhibiting artist, using my hands as primary tools. Rather than seeing a totally finished piece in my mind, each creation unfolds during the process of making. I have worked with woodcuts, clay, leather, beads, and deer hides, sometimes combining them. Process, concept, and materials are equally important, becoming a form of slow improvisation. My art has evolved from individual images to depicting relationships with time itself, and beaded deer hides have become works of conceptual art — not just word art, not just craft or beading — with each celebrating the steps towards unknown endings.”

East Town + East Side

Participants