Women In Design: Milwaukee

10/28/2026

Big ideas. Bold voices. 20 seconds at a time. Get ready for BOLD BY DESIGN!

Join Women in Design Milwaukee (WIDMKE) and WCREW for an evening of fresh perspectives, creative passions, and inspiring stories from nine women across a variety of industries.

With just 20 slides and 20 seconds per slide, our speakers will share their work, passions, and unique interpretations of what it means to be BOLD BY DESIGN.

Thursday, November 19, 2026
5:30–8:00 PM
Marquette University, College of Business Administration, Room OB 150AB

FREE and open to all! Drinks and light appetizers provided.

Featuring speakers:
Terri Howard, HGA
Elise Osweiler, Galbraith Carnahan Architects
Shalina S. Ali, TRUE Skool
Shari Sandler, SmithGroup
Madison Ziegler, Brady Corporation / Birdhaus Brands
Maddy Tarbox, Continuum Architects and Planners
Ella Reimer, Student, Marquette University
Isabelle Jardas, Barrientos Design & Consulting, Inc.
Tonia Coleman, Belman Homes

Register here:
https://www.widmke.com/event-details/lightning-talk-bold-by-design

Thank you to our sponsors, HGA and Galbraith Carnahan Architects, for making this event possible!

Bring a friend, get inspired, and celebrate bold ideas with us. We’ll see you there!

10/27/2026

What a beautiful first event of the season!

Thank you to local artist Christine Welman for letting us crash her gallery opening!

WID kicked off Christine's show at Mitchell Street Arts with a discussion on how women can build creative practices on their own terms. The questions built off of Christine's show's poetry and accompanying paintings, which explore Athena as a symbol of the courage it takes to grow into yourself and resist forces that seek to define you - all while creating along the way.

We hope to see you THIS THURSDAY for DESIGNING BEYOND BORDERS from 5:30-7:00pm at UWM Architecture and Urban Planning Building Room 179.

10/06/2026

Women in Design is sharing an event you WILL NOT WANT TO MISS coming up soon on GALLERY NIGHT MKE Friday, October 16th at Mitchell Street Arts from 5:30-8:30pm. Be the change.

Global design based non-profit Defining Humanity is helping KRANTI build a new home in the Himalayas of India, designed for supporting the healing of the abandoned daughters of the red-light districts of India and young women who are rescued from trafficking. Kranti, meaning revolution in Hindi, empowers these girls to become agents of social change. At this event, learn about the relationships, stories, tears, and laughter that informed Defining Humanity's design process with Kranti.

The event launches Spaces that Listen, a supporting publication from the designers that shares the story of Kranti and the design process. This night is also a first look at the upcoming photography exhibition, After Hours, from SPEOS Paris graduate and Kranti daughter, Ashwini Mane, who returns to the brothels she was raised in to share an intimate look at life from within. Engage in dialogue and contemplation about sex-trafficking and unlock within yourself the power to be an agent of social change yourself.

Join us for this free event, participate in Gallery Night MKE, bring a friend, grab a glass of w**e, and immerse yourself in this interactive discussion.

Event Details: October 16th, 2026
5:30pm - Exhibition Opens
6:30pm - Founders Talk with Robin Starts
8:30pm - Event Closes

Location: 710 W Historic Mitchell St, Milwaukee, WI 53204

RSVP at the qr code shown or through our website widmke.com!

10/01/2026

🥫 TEAM REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS APPROACHING! 🎨

The World is Your CANvas, and we want YOU to be part of it! 🌎

There’s still time to sign up for CANstruction Milwaukee 2027! Gather your team, bring your creativity, and turn canned goods into an incredible work of art while giving back to our community.

Compete for CanArt awards in categories like Best Original Design, Structural Ingenuity, and People’s Choice!

📅 Build Day: February 6, 2027
📍 Location: Baird Center, Milwaukee
🎨 Theme: The World is Your CANvas

Every can counts! All canned goods will be donated to local food pantries after the event to help fight hunger in our community.

Don't miss your chance to CANstruct something amazing! Register your team before the deadline!

Register your team now: https://www.widmke.com/event-details/canstruction-milwaukee-2027-team-registration

09/29/2026

🌎 Designing Beyond Borders

What does it mean to build a design career across countries, cultures, and markets? Join us for an engaging panel discussion with designers sharing their experiences working internationally, navigating different design practices, and collaborating across cultures.

Hear inspiring stories, lessons learned, and practical advice for exploring global design opportunities!

📅 October 29 | 5:30–7:00 PM
📍 UWM School of Architecture & Urban Planning
2131 E Hartford Ave, Room 179, Milwaukee, WI

Featuring:

Adriana Villwock, Project Architect, HGA

Gabriela Illucion Bustos Lopez, Director of XR and Immersive Technologies, UWM

Co-hosted with Women in Design - Students.

Register here: https://www.widmke.com/event-details/design-beyond-borders

09/23/2026

Time is running out to register your team for CANstruction 2027!

The World is Your CANvas!

Turn cans into creativity and community impact! CANstruction Milwaukee brings design teams together to build incredible structures made entirely from canned food, all while supporting local hunger relief.

WIDMKE is teaming up with AIA Wisconsin – Milwaukee and Wisco NOMA for our 2027 CANstruction competition at the Baird Center. Teams will compete for CanArt awards including Best Meal, Structural Ingenuity, Best Original Design, Most Cans, Best Use of Labels, and People’s Choice.

Build Day: February 6, 2027
De-CANstruction: February 15, 2027
Location: Baird Center, Milwaukee
Theme: The World is Your CANvas

Gather your team, grab your cans, and let's CANstruct some magic!
Register your team now: https://www.widmke.com/event-details/canstruction-milwaukee-2027-team-registration

09/08/2026

The World is Your CANvas!

Turn cans into creativity and community impact! CANstruction Milwaukee brings design teams together to build incredible structures made entirely from canned food, all while supporting local hunger relief.

WIDMKE is teaming up with AIA Wisconsin – Milwaukee and Wisco NOMA for our 2027 CANstruction competition at the Baird Center. Teams will compete for CanArt awards including Best Meal, Structural Ingenuity, Best Original Design, Most Cans, Best Use of Labels, and People’s Choice.

Build Day: February 6, 2027
De-CANstruction: February 15, 2027
Location: Baird Center, Milwaukee
Theme: The World is Your CANvas

Gather your team, grab your cans, and let's CANstruct some magic!
Register your team now: https://www.widmke.com/event-details/canstruction-milwaukee-2027-team-registration

08/18/2026

WE ARE BACK! Did you miss us? We missed you!
✨ Her Own Making: Inserting Ourselves into the Narrative ✨

What does it mean to build a creative practice and career on your own terms?

Join Women in Design – Milwaukee for an inspiring panel discussion featuring women from Milwaukee’s arts and design community as they share the experiences, choices, and turning points that shaped their creative paths.

Presented by artist and author Christine Welman, the conversation will explore what it means to carve out space for yourself, resist the narratives that seek to define you, and continue creating along the way.

The panel will take place during the opening reception of “Athena on My Mind,” Welman’s solo exhibition exploring Athena as both mythological figure and personal symbol through painting and poetry.

✨ Saturday, September 12, 2026
📍 Mitchell Street Arts | 710 W Historic Mitchell St, Milwaukee
🎨 Exhibit Opens: 5:00 PM
💬 Panel Program: 5:30–7:00 PM
🖼️ Exhibit Closes: 8:30 PM

Come gather with us to celebrate the courage it takes to become our fullest selves and to make our own stories along the way.

Register at https://www.widmke.com/event-details/her-own-making-inserting-ourselves-into-the-narrative-1

In partnership with Christine Welman and Mitchell Street Arts.

06/22/2026

And just like that... another exciting season of WID programming has come to an end.

Our final event - The Art of Vitality: Designing a Life with More Life in it - conducted by leadership coach Tina Crave, was exactly the conclusion to a fantastic, full, and fun year that we were looking for (and needed).
We took a moment to breathe, listen to ourselves and others, and learn our best path forward to flourishing - not just surviving.

A number of heartfelt thank yous:

For this event, thank you to Tina for sharing her wealth of knowledge with all of us and thank you to our sponsor and generous host, GRAEF.

If we could shout it from the rooftops we would - THANK YOU to ALL of our members who attended events this past season, we could not be more grateful for you choosing to spend your time with us to better yourself, your community, and your profession. We hope to continue to have your support for years to come.

A heartfelt thank you to all of our sponsors, partners, and donors who have made this past year possible. Your belief in the mission of WID and your commitment to pushing the envelope is something we never take for granted.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor or host of an event next season, or a donor to our scholarship supporting young, bright students studying in design fields - email us at [email protected].

Have a wonderful summer and we look forward to seeing you again in the fall.

Women in Design - Milwaukee

04/29/2026

Time to celebrate another round of successful Lightning Talks!

We had a great evening filled with laughter and learning at Freight38 in Bayview. The theme, Milestone Moments, led to stories of success, failure, and most importantly - growth. There was something for everyone to relate to when listening to this multigenerational cohort of women outline their milestone moments.

We are grateful to our presenters for lending us their time and sharing their experiences:

Kelly Jo McClanathan of Ring and DuChateau
Melissa Wolter of HGA
Andrea Hubbert of Hub+company
Katie Redel an Experience Designer in Milwaukee
Diana Billstrom of the Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce
Adrienne Hunter of Servant Manor
Lauren Bauman of Women in Design Students
Carrie Matteson of the Woman's Club of Wisconsin

A big thank you to our sponsor, Ring & DuChateau, our generous host, .38, and our co-host, the Women's Fund of Greater Milwaukee.

We hope to see you at our FINAL EVENT OF THE SEASON - The Art of Vitality: Designing a Life with more Life In It.
Join us next week, Thursday, May 7th, from 5:30-7:30 at GRAEF.