I met Artist Jennifer Lockwood and her fiancé Raian Relihan at one of their favorite spots and mine, The Milwaukee Public Market.
Back in 2005, Jennifer completed “ Cream City Speaks.” It’s a collage that you might have seen around town, either at festivals, on Saturday’s at the Public Market or perhaps online. The collage is comprised of roughly 5,000 people, places and things, both historical and new.
While looking at the collage, you’ll find some of Milwaukee’s founders, beer barons, shops, galleries, artists, musicians, parks, streets, bridges, neighborhoods, notable buildings, sports figures, taverns, chefs, museums, plus much more.
Now piecing together 5,000 tiny words into a beautiful view of the city isn’t easy. With the help of Raian, all the historical facts & Milwaukee research came together, and from there, Jennifer cut words out from brochures, magazines, menus, flyers and business cards from around Milwaukee. Between the research, cutting, gluing, and making sure each piece fits (like a puzzle), it took Jennifer roughly a year to ‘Make Milwaukee’.
It was a pleasure meeting both Jennifer and Ryan. Listen below to find out how the project came about and how it impacts Milwaukee locals. Thanks Jennifer & Raian for making little memories for Milwaukee.
* Cream City Speaks is a view of downtown Milwaukee as you look east down Wisconsin Avenue toward Lake Michigan. Cream City, known as one of Milwaukee’s nicknames, refers to the fact that many of the city’s buildings were built with cream-colored bricks. View the poster here.
