The Arts Connect Rural and Urban Culture During Washington Park Wednesdays’ “Farm to Park” Event

(Milwaukee, WI) – Members of the public are invited to enjoy a night of diverse cultural experiences during Washington Park Wednesdays’ (WPW) “Farm to Park” night on Wednesday, July 20, 2022 at the historic Washington Park Bandshell (4599 W Lloyd St, Milwaukee). In addition to live music, attendees can enjoy a sneak-peak performance by the Milwaukee Ballet, work from urban and rural creatives, a history walk, and free meals and activities for children, local vendors, and food trucks. Activities begin at 5:00 pm, with the Ballet at 5:15 pm, a historical tour or the park at 5:30 pm, and live music starting at 6:00 pm.

“Our annual ‘Farm to Park’ night connects our historic neighborhood with cultural influences from both the urban and rural creative influences that shape our community,” said Melissa Muller, Washington Park Neighbors Board President. “The result is an evening that will offer experiences that everyone is already familiar with while also exposing them to something new.”

Live Performances and Schedule
Each year, “Farm to Park” night aims to provide attendees with access to cultural experiences across many landscapes, using visual, musical, and performing artists from a variety of backgrounds, rural and urban.

• 5:15 pm – Milwaukee Ballet’s Ballet Beat Program

This year, Milwaukee Ballet’s Ballet Beat program continues Washington Park’s tradition of providing cutting-edge cultural entertainment with an interactive ballet demonstration and a special sneak-peek of their July season finale performance.

• 5:30 pm – Walking Tour of Washington Park

Walk through Washington Park, one of the first public parks in Milwaukee that was designed by the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted. Learn about the past and present use of this unique public space. Meet near the bandshell’s accessible ramp (west of the stage).

• 6:00 pm – Live Music Begins

Enjoy American standards from vocalist and classic guitarist Felix Sainze, who infuses his selections with multilingual vocals and Latin swing. Percussionist Jahmes Finlayson will perform with an Afro-Latin and jazz ensemble.

Activities and Creative Experiences:
A variety of representatives from urban and rural creative collectives and individual artists will be onsite highlighting programming, hosting activities, giving demonstrations, and selling wares.

• Artists Working in Education’s (AWE) will offer free arts enrichment activities for kids ages 4 – 14 through their Truck Studio program throughout the evening.
• Free meals will be available for all hungry children from the Milwaukee Center for Independence (MCFI). Attendees can also find a variety of local vendors, artists, and food trucks selling their wares throughout the evening.
• Art, wares, education, activities and resources will be represented by Wisconsin Poet Laureate Dasha Kelly and Still Waters Collective, Multimedia performance artist and CEO of Tank Think, Wes Tank; MKE<->LAX; staff and artists from Wormfarm Institute, Reedsburg Artslink, Little Eagle Arts Foundation (LEAF) Regina Flanagan, Martina Patterson, George Jones, Muneer Bahaudeen, Chriss Sweet, Tory Tepp, Chef K Clark, Chef Elena Terry, John Detwiler, and Curt Meine.

Get Involved
Washington Park Wednesdays is supported through the dedication of volunteers and donors. Please help us enable art and music programming, and to provide free meals for hungry kids, in partnership with MCFI. Learn more about volunteering or donating here.

About Washington Park Wednesdays
The 2022 “Washington Park Wednesdays” summer concert series is supported by Washington Park Neighbors, this year’s season sponsor, 88Nine Radio Milwaukee, and many other community organizations, to bring cultural events to local families for free.

The goal of WPW is to both broaden the scope of attendees to the park and to the West Side of Milwaukee, as well as to enable access to the rich cultural fabric of Milwaukee as a whole for the residents surrounding the park.

WPW curates each night under different themes. This year’s themes see the return of crowd favorites. See the full 2022 lineup here.

About Washington Park Neighbors
Our programming, collaborations and contracting are motivated by and in conjunction with our mission. Our mission: Washington Park Neighbors seek to provide audiences from the neighborhoods surrounding Washington Park with the opportunity to experience a wide variety of cultural entertainment through its quality and diverse programming in a historical venue on the West Side of Milwaukee.

Online donations can be submitted at www.washingtonparkneighbors.com/helpusgrow.

More information is available online at www.washingtonparkneighbors.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wpwmke. IG handle is @washingtonparkweds

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.