November 2024
November 1st, 2024
Come Celebrate With Us!
WaterMarks Day!
November 12th, 2024
11:00am-2:00pm
Lindsay Heights [North 15th Street & West North Avenue]
Join us in celebrating the induction of a WaterMarker in Lindsay Heights! This season has been full of installations of WaterMarkers across the city, and we are gathering together to celebrate this achievement and our community connections. We will have a few speakers starting at 11am, including Milwaukee's Mayor, Cavalier Johnson.
As our celebration is winding down, stick around for the Resource Fair that the neighbors of Lindsay Heights are hosting!
Last month... was very busy for our staff and neighbors here at WaterMarks. We appreciated the opportunities to build community and engage in lively discussions and story sharing throughout the city. One of our biggest events was a walk we hosted in Grasslyn Manor, which is a neighborhood nestled inside of the broader Sherman Park neighborhood. During our walk we engaged in many important conversations about infrastructure, storm drain clean-up, and the history of the landscape.
Meet Our Neighbor: Steve O'Connell and his work with Grasslyn Manor
“Water is everywhere in Sherman Park. Seems that many people talk about water in their basements, in their yards, and flowing down their alleys and streets. In our particular neighborhood many of my neighbors suffer from wet basements and soggy backyards all the time. We have been trying to address this issue for the last 15 years or so, more so since Capitol Court was removed. We have received grants to address some of the problems, but the water just keeps coming.”
Steve (as seen in the photo below) is a leader for the Grasslyn Manor Block Association and acted as representative and neighborhood expert during our walk. Through his dedication to community care and connection, Steve seems to know every person in the neighborhood. He is quick to share the stories of flooding and hardships that his neighbors have experienced, including the rampant issue of reckless driving that unfortunately impacts his community.He has been an integral part of fundraising for reckless driving awareness campaigns and has been interviewed by multiple Milwaukee news sites, which has brought further awareness to this issue.
As a member of the Sherman Park Eco Ambassadors, he became interested in how the WaterMarks project might work with their project and the Grasslyn Manor neighborhood. His hope has been that WaterMarks could be another way to keep neighbors engaged in trying to address these issues while joining a network of other engaged residents in Milwaukee. “It's all about learning from others and joining our efforts with others.” As a resident leader, Steve works with Greenprint Partners, where they join efforts to help manage the water that flows underneath the neighborhood.
Steve has lived in Grasslyn manor for 38 years, and he has been the resident leader (formerly known as the Block Capt) for about 36 years. He was on the Sherman Park Community Association (SPCA) board for many years as well as the ED for 6 years. He has worked with older adults at the Sherman Park Gathering Place which he helped start when he was at SPCA. They now drop off food for the week on Wednesdays for those who cannot drive or who don't have family around to assist them. He is also an Eco Ambassador with Lauren Poppen representing Grasslyn Manor. He is also a big advocate for voting, “Oh yes, I have worked at the polls since George Bush Sr. was elected. It is one of my passions--encouraging and making sure that folks can vote and are proud to take an active role in our democracy.”
With his previous success in this area, we are confident that he will help support our efforts in his community, and ensure that his neighbors' voices are heard.
Grasslyn Manor Walk Leaders
Scientist: Michael Timm (he/him)
Michael is a writer, editor, researcher, and designer who manages the Milwaukee Water Stories program for the nonprofit Reflo.
When City as Living Laboratory (CALL) came to town almost a decade ago, they were looking for place-based digital content and experience designer to connect and activate, the then-proposed, network of WaterMarkers. CALL connected with Reflo and Michael with the goal to reveal hidden water stories in a fun and motivating way. Michael subsequently supported WaterMarks' Voices initiative, which involved interviewing dozens of local partners throughout the pandemic and after.
Over the past year as part of his work with WaterMarks, he has attended "Build the Ark" meetings in Milwaukee's Grasslyn Manor neighborhood to help document the residents' story of advocating for action to reduce the risk of flooded basements. His research into the history of the area and its underground infrastructure informed the walk he co-led with artist Debbie Sajnani on October 12, 2024.
Artist: Debbie Sajnani (they/them)
Debbie is the artist that was selected through an artists open-call by the Sherman Park neighborhood for the WaterMarks funded public artwork. Their role in this project is to bring their creative perspective and help facilitate discussions between the community and our science experts. Ultimately, they will use their walk experiences, discussions, and maps as inspiration to create an art piece in the spring. They center their practice in creating artwork that celebrates diversity and promotes inclusivity. Through creating colorful and dynamic illustrations, they capture their own cultural intersections and identities.
The activity that Debbie brought to the walk at Grasslyn Manor was to take portrait photos of the participants using a polaroid camera. Those of us that got a photo taken by Debbie got to experience their bright and positive personality.
We look forward to seeing what Debbie learns about the Grasslyn Manor neighborhood, and what artwork comes out of their experiences with the community.
Some images of our time together.
Taken by our walk leader and artist, Debbie.
Partner Events
WaterMarks isn't building an atlas of water alone.
We work with countless organizations and individuals on this endeavor. WaterMarks Community-University Working Group is a collective of residents, artists, community-based institutions, and researchers who assemble to guide the future of water in Milwaukee.
Here are some upcoming events that our partners are hosting:
ANNUAL FETE GHEDE RIDE & ANCESTOR CELEBRATION
Join the Lindsay Heights neighborhood for a community bike ride and celebration. The celebration will include prayers and leaving flowers at street memorials throughout the area. The ride is 5 miles and at the end there will be food, drink, music, entertainment, and dancing. All are welcome!
Location: 1743 N 33rd St / Milwaukee, WI 53208
Date/Time: November 2nd / 10:00am - 1:00pm
MAKER FAIRE
Come to this free event at Discovery world! It has been described as "part science fair and part county fair." A family-friendly festival that showcases the intersection of 21st-century technology and skills with education, science, arts, crafts, sustainability, and more. Meet educators, civic leaders, entrepreneurs, and others who want Milwaukee to be a Maker City.
Location: Discovery World 500 North Harbor Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Dates: November 2nd & 3rd / 9:00am -3:00pm each day
COLLAB LAB 64: PLACE BASED ENGAGEMENT
Come see us at our table at Harbor fest, which is made possible by the Harbor District, Riveredge, and UWM's School of Freshwater Sciences. We will be celebrating the beautiful inner harbor of Milwaukee and Riveredge will be releasing baby sturgeon!
Location: 600 E. Greenfield Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53204
Date/Time: September 29 / 11:00am - 3:00pm