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Cactus Club’s new organization adds to the city’s creative momentum

An exterior photo of Cactus Club, a white two-story building in Milwaukee.

Cactus Club has long been a big plus for the Milwaukee community, particularly under Kelsey Kaufmann’s leadership. This Saturday, it’ll be official as the music venue launches Cactus+.

It’s pretty much what the name implies: the Cactus Club you’ve grown to love, but more — the more in this case being a new arts and education organization, plus an even sharper focus on inclusivity.

“The organization will broaden the scope of our youth-centered industry assistantships, guest curation and multimedia arts community building,” Kaufman said in a statement. “In addition to programming, we are working to improve accessibility on-site with the addition of a ramp to the front door and accessible bathrooms.”

On Saturday, we get our first look at what Cactus+ might entail at an event the club has called, “a soft launch.” A few local organizations will be hand, including Girls Rock MKE, Planned Parenthood WI, Back to Earth Tones and Thrift.Green. Plus, as you’d expect, they didn’t skimp on the music:

  • All-ages outdoor lineup — DJ Gramma Matrix (4 p.m.), Old Pup (5 p.m.), Bug Moment (6 p.m.) and B8R (fka Ruth B8r Ginsburg, 7 p.m.)
  • 18+ indoor lineup ($10 suggested donation) — Tru West, Graham Hunt Band and Summer Birth (starts at 8 p.m.)
  • Nighttime DJs — DJ Auntie / XxUltraVioletxX

Head over to the Cactus Club website for more information about the event, including the artists scheduled to perform.