National art advancement organization ArtPlace announced Monday its selection of Milwaukee as one of twelve best art cities in the nation.
Milwaukee is the only Midwest city to make the list.
The award was derived from nationwide research that examined more than 30,000 zip codes. Factors included combining arts, artists and venues with independent businesses and restaurants, as well as walkability of the city. East Town and the Third Ward were the two neighborhoods named.
"Milwaukee is one of the most underrated cities in America," said Carol Coletta, director of ArtPlace.
"Milwaukee won all on its own. This was purely data-driven," she added at a news conference Monday.
ArtPlace is a coalition of national and regional foundations, as well as banks and publicly-funded art agencies. ArtPlace seeks to accelerate "artistic placemaking," according to a news release.
Here are all the cities named top twelve "ArtPlaces"
Brooklyn, NY
Dallas, TX
Los Angeles, CA
Miami Beach, FL
Milwaukee, WI
New York, NY
Oakland, CA
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, OR
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA
Washington D.C.
Mayor Tom Barrett accepted the award at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.