Our Story
Founded in 2022, Mitchell Street Arts (MiSA) was built on a simple but powerful belief: Art should be accessible to everyone, and communities should have a voice in shaping the creative spaces that serve them.
Located on Milwaukee’s South Side, MiSA works to expand equitable access to arts education, creative resources, and economic opportunities for youth, families, immigrants, and emerging artists who have historically faced barriers to participation in the arts.
From the beginning, MiSA sought to build something with the community, not simply for it. Rather than assuming what the neighborhood needed, we began by asking a fundamental question: “What do you want to see at MiSA?”
That question continues to guide our work. Through ongoing conversations, community feedback, and partnerships, we listen, learn, and adapt our programming to reflect the interests, talents, and evolving needs of the people we serve. We believe meaningful community engagement is not a one-time activity but an ongoing commitment to shared learning, responsiveness, and growth.
Creating Opportunities Through Arts Education
Today, MiSA offers a range of visual and performing arts programs designed to make creative learning accessible, collaborative, and empowering. Our teaching and mentorship model brings together local artists and educators who share their expertise while learning from one another.
Through co-teaching, instructors exchange knowledge, strengthen their teaching practices, and build supportive professional relationships. Students benefit from hands-on learning experiences that encourage artistic exploration, develop practical skills, and build confidence in their creative abilities.
Supporting Artists and Creative Expression
MiSA also provides opportunities for artists to develop their creative practices, experiment with new ideas, and connect with the broader community. Our Artist-in-Residence program offers space for artistic exploration and professional growth while encouraging artists to consider how their work can foster meaningful community engagement.
Through four to six gallery exhibitions annually, MiSA creates opportunities for artists to share their work with the public, with particular emphasis on local, emerging, and non-traditional artists whose perspectives enrich Milwaukee’s cultural landscape.
Growing Through Community Partnerships
Community partnerships are at the heart of MiSA’s work. By collaborating with neighborhood organizations, locally owned businesses, artists, and cultural groups, we create opportunities for creative expression, shared learning, and meaningful connections.
More than a place to experience art, MiSA strives to be a welcoming community space where people can discover their creativity, build relationships, develop new skills, and contribute to the cultural vitality of Milwaukee’s South Side.
Our story continues to be shaped by the community, and we invite everyone to be part of what comes next.
Mission
Mitchell Street Art (MiSA) expands equitable access to arts education, creative resources, and economic opportunity for Milwaukee’s historically underserved youth, immigrants, families, and emerging artists. Located on Milwaukee’s South Side, MiSA provides a community- centered makerspace, free and flexible payment-based classes, mentorship, and public programming designed to ensure access regardless of financial means.
Vision.
By supporting artistic skill-building, cross-cultural connection, and pathways to creative careers, MiSA strengthens community identity and contributes to a more inclusive and vibrant local arts ecosystem.
Values
Respect
Vulnerability
Diversity
Equity
Justice
Accessibility
Advocacy
Promoting Arts Education
MiSA builds relationships with Milwaukee schools and affiliated programming to bolster the education system in Milwaukee. Access to the arts, most especially pertaining to youth, can be limited; MISA seeks to remedy this inequity.
The creative process is vital to every student’s learning. By offering classes in our makerspace to local schools and affiliated programs, students can learn in small groups with local experts in their respective fields, ranging from ceramics, analog photography, wood-working, dance, and more. Students succeed most when they have the freedom to explore learning in a safe and positive environment of knowledgeable instructors and peers.
MiSA is devoted to cultivating the arts in the practical application found in the careers and personal trajectory of MiSA’s community.