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A Community and Cultural Hub
Throughout the first half of the 20th century, African American migration from the South fueled the growth of Milwaukee and Bronzeville emerged as a community and cultural hub with a flourishing commercial corridor. It included businesses, social organizations, entertainment venues, and institutions of all kinds. Urban renewal and highway construction largely displaced the community in the 1960s. In recent years, a renewed commitment to Milwaukee’s contemporary African American visual arts movement has helped inspire Bronzeville’s revitalization.
Gallery 507 serves as the BCA’s headquarters and is the organization’s first development in the heart of Milwaukee’s Bronzeville District at 507 W. North Ave. The 3,500 square foot facility is also home to an artists’ gallery, a makerspace and retail area.
The BCA began developing the property in 2022. Design and construction of the new building is anticipated to be finished in Summer 2024, with programming starting in Fall 2024.
The BCA is developing an art museum in the heart of Bronzeville on a 3.4-acre parcel at the northeast corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and North Avenue. Plans include building a new 50,000 square foot museum to replace the existing structure and redeveloping the site with original landscaping for public use. Through the museum, the BCA seeks to increase the collective knowledge of and engagement with African American art, art history, and artists.
Since 2021, the BCA has been gathering critical community and stakeholder feedback about the project. In November 2023, Governor Tony Evers allocated $5 million in federal funds for the museum, a major step forward as planning for the project continues.
Throughout the design process, the BCA will seek community input as it brings this vision closer to reality.