Why Milwaukee is the Perfect Place to Make Art

If you’ve ever spent a winter in Milwaukee, you know this city has a way of sharpening you, kinda like honing your Flexcut gouge on a cold morning (yes I already made a witty pun, get used to it 😝).

Things here get crisp, honest, and real….. fast. Maybe that’s why printmaking thrives so beautifully in this town. There’s no faking it in a linocut. You carve what you carve. You print what you print. Milwaukee, I believe, in all its gritty charm and warm-hearted creativity, really embraces that spirit perfectly.

When Dani and I moved our little studio into this city, it felt like we’d stepped into a community that understood the strange magic of ink under the fingernails and ideas that won’t sit still, kinda like two cups of Stone Creek coffee before 6am.

Milwaukee has always been a maker’s city. You can just feel it in the old brick warehouses or the preserved factories like we call home (The Fur Factory). There’s just a certain smell to Milwaukee... I swear it’s a skunk, but maybe it’s something else 😝. Even now, when I walk around the East Side or Bay View, I see studios, galleries, and community spaces tucked into unexpected corners. It’s a city that gives us artists room to breathe and experiment.

Everywhere you look, there’s somebody creating something: pottery on a wheel, leather being stitched, metal being hammered, screenprints drying on racks. Then there’s us weirdos…. carving away at blocks of linoleum, chasing that perfect curl that lets you know you’re onto something… big!!!

A big reason I love being part of Milwaukee’s printmaking scene is the people. There’s no ego, just a whole lot of “Hey, what are you working on?,” followed by, “You see the new shop on Humbolt?” Printmakers love to talk shop, and this city is full of kind, genuine artists who want you to succeed as much as they want to carve their own masterpiece.

Whether it’s running into familiar faces at local markets like Ink Curds… (yes John and Fran, I’m talking about you) to getting invited to open studios or meeting neighbors who swear their great-great-uncle once printed beer labels in the Third Ward, there’s a constant sense of shared craft tradition. The older generation passes knowledge down. The newer generation brings fresh energy and experimentation. And somewhere in the middle, people like me get to learn, grow, and carve our own place in the story.

One of my favorite parts of building Gilfalo Art Design here is how deeply Milwaukee loves its markets and local art events. You show up to a holiday market like our very own Riverwest Market, or pop-up like The Magnet Factory Holiday Market thinking you’ll sell some prints and maybe warm up with a cider or hot chocolate, and suddenly you’re in these long conversations about concerts, travel stories, mushrooms or somebody’s childhood memories back in school.

It feels like people here get handmade art. They connect with it. Maybe it’s the Midwestern soul…. practical yet sentimental. Or maybe it’s just that Milwaukee understands the joy of things made with time, intention, and a little bit of stubborn grit (oh, I have grit 😝)

And let’s be honest: this city loves music, especially its independent venues like Cactus Club or the Pabst Theater. Which also means it loves concert posters. The fact that we get to carve gig posters in a town that’s hungry for live shows… That’s a gift we don’t take lightly.

Every day this community welcomes us in like old friends, supports our wild ideas, and encourages us to keep carving, keep printing, and keep telling our story.

Printmaking is alive in Milwaukee, not because of any one artist or studio, but because of all of us together, showing up with our messy hands, big ideas, and love for the craft.

We’re proud to be part of it.

I’m grateful to be part of it.

And honestly, we can’t imagine doing this anywhere else.