August 8th, 2024

This is a very busy Summer!

Over at Sherman Park we have been working alongside a group of neighbors planning multiple locations for future water markers, community walks, art works, and activation events. We are in a pivotal stage of community work where we are getting to know each other and seeking to better understand how we can work together to continue environmental education through the unique lens of community artworks. Sherman Park is a vibrant community that is dedicated to community care and support. In 2021 Sherman Park was named an ECO neighborhood, because of their tireless work to make their neighborhood a safe and healthy place to be.

We're lucky to be able to build on that tireless work and are excited to have WaterMarks in Sherman Park! Read on for more information about Shermans Park events and some community partner highlights.

Sherman Park Events

Community Highlight: Sherman Park

Bus Tours and Earth Day in May

In February, WaterMarks offered a bus tour to show interested Sherman Park residents around our various Water Marker sites, explaining what work has been done in other neighborhoods.
The Bus Tour was created in response to a community request and increased participation on the Sherman Park Neighborhood Project Team, the decision-making body for WaterMarks walks, workshops and other programming.
We're hoping to run more WaterMarks Bus Tours for other neighborhoods in the future!

Sherman Park Community Association invited WaterMarks to table at their Earth Day in May event. We had the great opportunity to introduce everyone to the process of paper making. We used recycled paper pulp, food coloring, and native wildflower seeds.
The seed paper can be planted anywhere an attendee helping to grow native flowers around the neighborhood and around Milwaukee!
You can expect to find fun art projects like paper making at other WaterMarks tabling events. Come say hi!

Amplifying Neighborhood Voices:

WaterMarks provides a meeting place for Milwaukee's artists, residents, and scientists.

We would like to highlight some of the community voices that contributed to its development.

Artist: Jessica Meunick-Ganger

Jessica is an artist on the WaterMarks research team, her prints, time-based, and sculptural works have been exhibited in museums and both experimental and commercial galleries regionally, nationally, and internationally. Jessica earned a BS degree in Art Education from Ball State University and MFA in Studio Arts from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She is currently the Print and Narrative Forms Area Head, Associate Professor, and co-Chair of the Department of Art and Design at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. For WaterMarks, Jessica has conducted numerous printmaking, bookmaking, paper making, and screenprinting activities in and for many neighborhoods, including Sherman Park.

Resident: Esperanza Gutierrez

She believes that setting an example is the first step towards collective climate action, she is an unapologetic climate activist. She recognizes the importance of keeping our water clean, as clean water is a vital element for a healthy environment - and a healthy community. Gutierrez has been an active community member for over ten years! Learn her story and take on her example.
Watch and interview with Esperanza below:

Scientist: Dr. Kristin Beyer

Last November, Kristin worked with WaterMarks in collaboration with KK River Neighbors in Action, on a walk along a stretch of the Kinnickinnic River to discuss how water can positively impact our mental health.
Dr. Beyer is on the faculty in the Division of Epidemiology in the Institute for Health & Equity at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Her current research looks at the impacts of environmental attributes on neighborhoods, such as residential racial segregation as well as how green spaces can have impacts on cancer outcomes. She pays special attention to the ways that stress, time spent outdoors, social interactions, and physical activity are impacted by the presence of green spaces. (**Medical College of Wisconsin**)

Images all sourced from our website or with permission from the owner.

Featured WaterMarks content was completed by Corrigan Eckert.

WaterMarks Staff Spotlight

Katie Avila Loughmiller:

WaterMarks Project Manager for Programming and Engagement

Katie has been working with the art community in Milwaukee for many years. In 2017, she co-founded an artist collective for Latinx artists in Milwaukee which has grown into a for-profit business, LUNA, LLC. They work to support artists of color by connecting individuals with opportunities as well as educating prospective clients on equitable pay. Katie's deep commitment to community and collaboration, makes her a perfect fit to manage programs and engagement for WaterMarks. We are so excited to see how our efforts will continue to grow under her guidance.

Check out her website

Corrigan Eckert

WaterMarks Graduate Assistant

Corrigan is a current Masters of Fine Arts student at UW-Milwaukee, and a new member of the Milwaukee community. Her art focuses on the many species we share space with. She seeks to create art that aligns with WaterMarks mission of encouraging education and compassion for the environment. In her role with WaterMarks, Corrigan supports community programming and works closely with our NSF and CUWG teams.

Check out her website

Upcoming WaterMarks Events

Back-to-School WaterMarker Community Event

**Skate Night**
Please join us for a fun night out at the MMSD West Basin! In addition to skating, the Public Arts Working group led by Northwest Side Community Development Corporation (NWSCDC) and Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), will have a survey to select an artist to install a public artwork, which will be paired with a Water Marker in the near future. The survey will also gauge interest in water related issues that will be the topic of conversation for an upcoming community walk led by a local expert and the selected artist.
**Date:** August 15th, 2024
**Time:** 4:00pm - 7:00pm
**Location:** 4350 North 35th Street (the former Bee Bus Line site)

Register for “Skate Night” Here

**Back-to-School WaterMarker Community Event**
Join us and our partners, Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee Water Commons, and KK River Neighbors in Action, to celebrate and prepare for the beginning of the new school year.
There will be free school supplies and ice cream while supplies lasts! We hope to see you there!
**Date:** August 31st, 2024
**Time:** 1:00pm - 4:00pm
**Location:** At the Ñ Marker, across from Pulaski Park, on South 16th Street & West Harrison Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53204

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: