Museum Days, a VISIT Milwaukee marketing campaign that aims to boost attendance at Milwaukee's many museums, is back for a third year.
More than 30 museums in and around the city will take part in the promotion, which runs Jan. 18-28.
Although the goal is to lure out-of-towners to Brew City and its museum gems, the promotion – during which time participating museums offer either free or discounted admissions ranging from free to $15 – is a boon to locals, too.
“Our museums create a rich sense of identity and pride for our community while enhancing the quality of life for residents and providing a wonderful experience for our visitors," said Peggy Williams-Smith, president and CEO of VISIT Milwaukee.
"We are always proud to invite visitors from around the world to explore these institutions and make them a regular part of their travels to Milwaukee.”
Last year's event was a big success, according to VISIT Milwaukee, which notes that, for example, The Bucyrus Museum reported a three-fold increase in visits versus the same 10-day period in 2022.
America's Black Holocaust Museum and Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum also reported big gains during Museum Days.
Participating museums this year include:
- America's Black Holocaust Museum
- Art Preserve of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center
- Betty Brinn Children's Museum
- Bucyrus Museum
- Cedarburg Art Museum
- Charles Allis Art Museum
- Discovery World
- Grohmann Museum
- Haggerty Museum of Art
- Harley-Davidson Museum
- IPAMA Institute for the Preservation of African American Music and Arts
- Jewish Museum Milwaukee
- John Michael Kohler Arts Center
- Lynden Sculpture Garden
- Milwaukee Art Museum
- Milwaukee County Historical Society
- Milwaukee Public Museum
- Milwaukee War Memorial Center
- Mitchell Gallery of Flight
- Mitchell Park Domes Horticultural Conservatory
- Museum of Wisconsin Art
- National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum
- The Pabst Mansion
- Racine Art Museum
- RAM's Wustum Museum of Fine Arts
- Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel
- Selfie Hop
- University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Emile H. Mathis Art Gallery
- Villa Terrace Decorative Art Museum
- War Memorial Center
- Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum
- Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Art
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
