College of the Arts & Architecture Dean Winifred Elysse Newman is helping bring new life to the historic Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, encouraging a restoration approach that draws inspiration from the building’s original character.
Daniel Petry, a longtime Milwaukee arts administrator who played a key role in the creation of UWM’s Jan Serr Studio, died in August at age 71. During a career spanning several Milwaukee arts organizations, Petry worked at the Peck School of the Arts and Present Music, among others.
Alum Julia Bradfish is in her second year as artist-in-residence at Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel, where her abstract works intrigue hotel visitors with eye-catching colors and bold shapes.
MovieMaker Magazine has named the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee one of the best film schools in the U.S. and Canada for 2026. The annual 30 Best Film Schools list highlights programs that offer students strong preparation for a changing industry while helping emerging filmmakers develop their craft and creative perspectives.
Former Peck School of the Arts film lecturer and graduate program director Cecelia Condit is a pillar of the analog horror genre and has been a player in the indie film scene since the ‘80s. After her 1983 short film Possibly in Michigan went viral on social media in the mid-to-late 2010s, Condit gained newfound recognition for her influence on the genre.
Alum Fred Kaems is among the artists responsible for a new movement that strives to create murals across Milwaukee.
Film lecturer Emily Downes is preparing to open Magic Hands Creative Reuse, a community-driven secondhand supply shop that gives new life to old art supplies.
Recent Jewelry & Metalsmithing graduate Grace Barden (BFA 2026, Studio Art) is the first apprentice jeweler to receive the Advanced Apprenticeship Graduate certification from Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America’s (MJSA) Mentor & Apprenticeship Program. Recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor, the program is designed to give students a chance to work with professional jewelers and have career-building experiences over the span of fifty weeks.
Alum Julia Bradfish (BFA 2023, Studio Art) is the Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel’s first back-to-back artist in residence. Having begun her residency in September 2025, Bradfish will continue the role through 2026.
UWM alum Basha Harris (BFA 2016, Jewelry & Metalsmithing) is featured in the latest issue of Metalsmith, a magazine published by the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG). Harris explains to Metalsmith’s Rachel Reichart how the legacy of prolific Milwaukee artist Mary Nohl inspires her own work.
UWM alums Haley Omick (BA 2016, Art) and Danielle Burrows (BFA 2018, Art) are the owners of Eucalyptus & Company, a Riverwest-based art studio specializing in stained glass, floral arrangements, and ceramics.
UWM alum Kurt Sensenbrenner (BFA 2011, Film) opens a “turnkey” studio space in Madison, providing a place for creatives to grow their craft. After his experience filming a documentary on the turbulent banks of the Chicago River, he came up with the idea to create an indoor studio space for projects ranging from filmmaking to woodworking.
Milwaukee honors late theatre and movie critic Dominique North, who passed away in late June. During the 1970s and 1980s, North taught film at UWM.
FuzzPop Workshop collaborated with PSOA and Wild Space Dance Company to create “Radiant Echoes,” an interactive art installation for Summerfest 2026.
Travis A. Knight (BFA 2007, Theatre) will make his Broadway debut this August in Paranormal Activity, the stage adaptation of the 2007 horror film. Knight, who previously appeared in the production’s pre-Broadway engagements, reprises his role as James for the Broadway run.
