Cream City Think Tank
Where Milwaukee’s history meets its future.
-
Built in the Spaces Milwaukee Forgot
The interstate that runs through Walker’s Point was built in the 1960s to move traffic through a neighborhood the city had other plans for. Today, trucks and semis roll along I-43 in a steady overhead thunder while below, on a stretch of open asphalt between 6th and 9th on National Avenue, murals climb the concrete…
-
Loud Day at the Library
Skyler had never spent more than five minutes inside a Milwaukee Public Library before Saturday. It was Record Store Day, and he was moving through the city when Zine Fest crossed his path at the Central Library — a building he had passed many times without really entering. He didn’t know exactly what a zine…
-
The Problem With Kids Today
On a Saturday morning in April, teenagers gathered at 3rd Street Market Hall and sat down to watch a documentary about mathematics. They came on their own. Nobody made them. The conference room they filled isn’t a classroom. It’s not a rec center or a community center or any of the spaces Milwaukee typically sets…
-
Holding the History | Petey Balestrieri & Kristen C. Heller | Milwaukee Film
Two people who have given their lives to keeping cinema alive in Milwaukee. An hour of honest conversation about what it actually takes: the funding, the restoration, the community, and why any of it matters. For anyone who loves film, runs a cultural organization, or wants to understand what it looks like when a community…
-
The Last Two Blocks
Culture & Civic Infrastructure Milwaukee Film isn’t just preserving movie theaters. It’s preserving the last version of a city that belonged to everyone. On Downer Avenue on Milwaukee’s east side, there is a two-block stretch that should not exist. A locally owned grocery store, a bakery, a liquor store, a coffee roaster, a bookseller, and…
-
Built Around Brilliance
Inside a Walker’s Point studio where neurodivergent youth learn design, animation, and creative technology by starting with what they already love. On a Saturday morning in Walker’s Point, the Eagleknit building hums. Mentors set up workstations. Students arrive. Some walk in fast, heading straight for the screens. Others take a moment at the door. Within…
-
The Midwest, Reframed | A Film on Ryan Hainey
This film follows Ryan Hainey and examines the evolving design culture of the Midwest. While the region is often framed through decline, this documentary focuses on the people shaping what comes next, artists, architects, builders, and craftspeople working across homes, studios, industrial buildings, and new spaces alike. From adaptive reuse to ground up construction, the…
-
Remembering Alonzo Robinson Jr., Milwaukee’s First Black Architect
Alonzo Robinson Jr. was Wisconsin’s first Black licensed architect. Working in Milwaukee during a period of rapid change, Robinson built a career defined by discipline, restraint, and a commitment to serving community needs through architecture. His work spanned commercial, civic, and community-focused projects at a time when opportunities for Black architects were limited and often…
-
Malik Johnson Live at Indeed Brewing | WPR Pint-Sized Concert | Tiny Desk Cellist
On February 20, 2026, cellist Malik Johnson performed at Indeed Brewing Company in Milwaukee as part of Wisconsin Public Radio’s Pint-Sized Concert Series. The series hosts free performances in partnership with local venues across Wisconsin. This video contains Johnson’s full set as recorded on site.
-
A Room That Makes Space
On a winter afternoon in Walker’s Point, the taproom at Indeed Brewing Company feels familiar, but there are a few small changes. Folding tables sit along the walls. Small business owners place candles, prints, and small goods where drinks usually go. The craft beer still pours, and the Bucks game is still on TV. Regulars…