Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport Becomes Premier Partner of Milwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee, Wis. – January 8, 2020 – The Milwaukee Art Museum has announced that Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) is now a Premier Partner of the Museum.

“Travel and art have a lot in common,” said Marcelle Polednik, PhD, Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director, Milwaukee Art Museum. “They both allow us to explore different places, cultures, and ideas—to step out of our everyday. I’m excited to formalize the Museum’s relationship with the Airport and to welcome them as an official partner.”

The partnership gives the Airport a presence inside the Museum and the opportunity to participate in public events such as Art in Bloom and Lakefront Festival of Art. The Airport is also sponsoring space at the Museum for visitors to stow their backpacks, big bags, baggage and luggage while visiting the galleries.

Additionally, the Airport is the evening sponsor for the Museum’s MAM After Dark: Miami Nights, on January 31, 2020. The event, which is geared toward young professionals, will have a tropical atmosphere, inspired by Little Havana, with Cuban fusion cuisine, a live band, salsa dancing, local vendors and art tours.

The Airport will also promote the Museum throughout its concourses, highlighting it as an important destination in Milwaukee.

“Milwaukee County has a long history of partnering with the Milwaukee Art Museum, and we are proud to expand this to MKE,” said Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele. “The new partnership will also highlight the Art Museum at MKE, helping us to expose the thousands of visitors to the rich cultural institutions we have and showcase Milwaukee as a thriving destination. As we encourage travelers to fly from MKE, this partnership is a proud reminder that Milwaukee is not only an amazing place to live, work and play—but also an amazing place in which to visit and invest.”

The Museum and the Airport have a number of connections. Curators and other Museum staff have made countless trips around the country and the world that started at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. The largest cargo jet to ever land at the Airport carried sections of the Burke Brise Soleil wings during the construction of the Museum’s Santiago Calatrava–designed Quadracci Pavilion. The large-scale mobile Red, Black, Blue by Alexander Calder, on view in the Museum’s Windhover Hall, is from the Airport’s collection and was originally installed in the Airport.

Results from a recent economic impact study by the Airport shows that if Milwaukeeans choose to fly locally out of MKE versus a Chicago airport, dozens of new flights, hundreds of new jobs and more than $200 million could be added annually to Wisconsin’s economy.

The Airport is one of three organizations that have made the commitment to support the overall Museum experience as a Premier Partner, while working with the Museum to find ways to help the community make the most of their art museum.

About Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is owned by Milwaukee County and operated by the Department of Transportation, Airport Division, under the policy direction of the Milwaukee County Executive and the County Board of Supervisors. The Airport is entirely funded by user fees; no property tax dollars are used for the Airport’s capital improvements or for its day-to-day operation. MKE currently offers nonstop flights to 37 destinations coast-to-coast, and 190 international destinations are available from Milwaukee with just one connection. MKE is served by Air Canada, Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, and United. The complete list of nonstop cities can be found at mitchellairport.com.

About the Milwaukee Art Museum

Home to a rich collection of more than 30,000 works of art, the Milwaukee Art Museum is located on the shores of Lake Michigan. Its campus includes the Santiago Calatrava–designed Quadracci Pavilion, annually showcasing three feature exhibitions, and the Eero Saarinen–designed Milwaukee County War Memorial Center and David Kahler‒designed addition. In 2016, after a yearlong renovation, the Museum reopened its Collection Galleries, debuting nearly 2,500 world-class works of art within dramatically transformed galleries and a new lakefront addition. This reimagined space also allows for the presentation of additional changing exhibitions. For more information, please visit: mam.org.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.