Vliet Street Gallery Night and Day

Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22, Near West Side Partners presented their first Vliet Street Gallery Night and Day in conjunction with Historic Third Ward's Gallery Night and Day. Made possible by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation's Reasons for Hope MKE grant, Vliet Street Gallery was a great experience.

While the rain on Friday night put a small damper on our plans, we were able to move our outdoor entertainment and vendors into a 3801 W Vliet, a row of store fronts currently being renovated by the owner Tom Straub and CM Construction. At 3801 attendees got to jam to the eclectic fusion of Hip Hop, Soul and Jazz played by the band Cigarette Break. Many gallery goers stopped to look at beautiful dresses created by our very own Merrill Park resident fashion designer, Kelvin Haydon. Those that preregistered had the pleasure of joining artist Jasmine West for a guided art class in which they created a vibrant Milwaukee Skyline inside JazzyRae' Jewels and Accessories Boutique. Mr. Freddie Sanders, owner of Sander's Superbowl, even open his lanes up to the gallery goes while they stopped to see the art there by Fresh Perspective Artist Collective. The Vliet Street Gallery also had the pleasure of being a host location of the NEWaukee Art Bus.

Mr

Trina Searcy Marketing CommunicationCoordinators for Community Care

Art class participants with final products inside JazzyRae' Jewels and Accessories

Merrill Park resident fashion designer Kelvin Haydon

NWS resident e

Canelita Brown body products

Artist Kathleen Kelly with her books and other creations

Pete Cooney of Pete's Pops inside A.W

Artist Lisa Fox and her natyure inspired art_

Artist Dharron Reed's Bowling Lites

NEWaukee Art Bus Riders inside A.W

Nite N' Day band playing on Saturday

3722 Artistic Board Up

Saturday came with warm weather and bright blue skys, which made it a great day for residents to walk to the galleries and to homes included in Martin Drive Neighborhood's Rummage Sale. Those who were not interested in walking to the galleries could hop on the shuttle provided by the Washington Park Urban Ecology Center. Saturday also brought the sweet sounds of the Nite N' Day band which Historic Concordia resident Julie Anne Lovely Thompson is a part of. Many people enjoyed the delicious food brought to the neighborhood by the Jamaican Kitchen and Rev- Up contestant Buck's Burger Dogs.

Two long term pieces of art were created specifically for Vliet Street, in the form of artistic board ups. Partnering with the City of Milwaukee, Department of Neighborhood Service Anti- Graffiti Divison Near West Side Partners connected with Artist Working in Education and Fresh Perspective Artist Collective to create art to adorn these City owned properties. Artist Working in Education worked with Our Next Generation to create a bright and fun piece at 3907 W Vliet, while Fresh Perspective Artist Collective not only created a row of beautiful flowers, they also created a scene using cut outs on the porch above.

Near West Side Partners could not have done this without the generous support from Greater Milwaukee Foundation's Reasons for Hope grant, Community Cares, Metro PCS and Fast Stop Foods. We would also like to extend our gratitude to our partners CM Construction, the Urban Ecology Center, and Artist Working in Education. We would also like to say thank you to all the artists, vendors, and all the businesses that made this event great!