Union Art Gallery

April 1 – April 10, 2026

The First Year Program in Art and Design at UWM’s Peck School of the Arts has a long history of helping students develop as creative thinkers and prepare them to move forward in their chosen paths. This first year is a time of significant artistic and personal development, when students choose their focus areas and start to see themselves as emerging professionals in their fields. The Union Art Gallery’s First Year Exhibition offers these students a platform to present the work they’ve produced during this pivotal stage of their growth.

February 27 – March 12, 2026

The Union Art Gallery is showcasing its 53rd Annual Juried Exhibition, highlighting a wide range of creative work by college artists from throughout the Greater Milwaukee region. Two of Milwaukee arts professionals served as jurors, selecting standout pieces and presenting cash awards to the top artists at the opening reception. For decades, this exhibition has offered the community a chance to experience—and champion—the remarkable abilities of emerging contemporary artists in our area.

January 26 – February 17, 2026

Too Much To Hold is an exhibition that features the work of Milwaukee based interdisciplinary artist Brianna Cole. Cole’s work begins as a response to everyday emotional states—nervousness, decision anxiety, and the unstoppable passage of time and is rooted in digital processes, primarily using Procreate and Photoshop alongside 3D modeling software such as Blender. The events and situations that are featured within her work sit heavily in the heart and the mind, moments that become difficult to hold alone. Rather than attempting to banish discomfort, Cole creates images that make space for it, offering these feelings a place to land and settle. In this way, the drawings and paintings act as acts of care toward the self and toward emotional survival.

Cole received a BFA in Animation from Ball State University and is currently pursuing an MFA in Studio Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

November 14 – December 11, 2025

Crossing Over features work produced by undergraduate students in UWM’s Peck School of the Arts, Department of Art and Design who have received a scholarship and/or fellowship award in the 2025/2026 school year. This yearly exhibition features outstanding artwork created by Milwaukee’s up and coming young artists through a variety of mediums and themes.

October 8 – October 31, 2025

Beautiful Bodies showcases a range of artwork that displays the different forms bodies can take through diverse artistic representations. The dynamic nature of bodies means that they are forever changing and will never appear to be the same. Through this exhibition, we hope that everyone finds something that they identify with and are able to see themselves in the artwork displayed. This show encourages a dialogue on the nature of bodies and provides a safe space to move through diverse historical, contemporary, and extremely visceral representations of the body as a changing form.

September 2 – September 26, 2025

Join the Union Art Gallery for Bounder Less, an exhibition showcasing UWM alumna Ellee Spalding. Ellee’s abstract paintings and ceramic works investigate the balance between structure and randomness, drawing attention to the overwhelming number of parallels between their interplay and the rhythms of life. Ellee spends much of her time at her studio in Bay View, Milwaukee, and holds her BFA with a dual focus of Painting/Drawing and Ceramics, along with a BA in Psychology from UWM.

April 22 – May 10, 2024

Eighty percent of people on Earth have not had access to a truly dark night sky. For over a century, planetariums have provided a window into the cosmos, inspiring audiences to explore astronomy. Throughout history, the night sky has sparked the imagination of artists, astronomers, and stargazers alike.

One Sky We Share commemorates the 100th anniversary of planetarium projectors, showcasing artists whose fascination with the night sky captures the beauty and wonder of the universe above us.

Exhibiting Artists: Russell Crotty, Lia Halloran, Jessica Laub, John Riepenhoff, and Sam Zimmerman

April 5 – April 12, 2024

The First Year Program in Art and Design at UWM’s Peck School of the Arts has long prepared students to be creative, engaged, and ready to advance in their chosen fields. The first year marks a period of artistic and personal growth, where students select their areas of concentration and begin to envision themselves as practitioners in their discipline. The Union Art Gallery’s First Year Exhibition has provided these students with the opportunity to showcase the work they created during this transformative process.

February 23 – March 14, 2024

The Union Art Gallery has presented the 51st Annual Juried Exhibition, featuring a diverse array of artwork by college student artists from across the Greater Milwaukee area. Juried by a panel of three Milwaukee arts professionals, the top exhibiting artists were announced and awarded cash prizes during the opening reception. This exhibition has long provided an opportunity to witness and support the incredible talent of emerging contemporary artists in our local community.

January 22 – February 9, 2024

The recent release of the Barbie movie sparked renewed discussions on the role and influence of patriarchal societies. Throughout the film, viewers were shown how patriarchy shapes gender expectations, influences language, and reinforces stereotypes. Seeing the Unseen: Reflections on Patriarchy highlighted the work of five artists exploring the impact of living under patriarchy and its effects on individuals and society. The exhibition also included interactive materials, inviting visitors to reflect on how patriarchy has influenced their own lives.

This exhibition was co-sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center and the LGBTQ+ Resource Center. 

Exhibiting Artists: Sheila Pree Bright, Meg Lionel Murphy, Spooky Boobs, Valaria Tatera, with select work from the UWM Libraries Special Collections.

November 16 – December 15, 2023

Matika Wilbur’s (Swinomish and Tulalip) extensive photography portfolio has long captured the diversity and beauty of contemporary Native America while challenging stereotypical representations. Her work weaves together imagery and stories of Native Americans across the United States, fostering conversations about their lived experiences. Wilbur’s recent publication, Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America, quickly became a New York Times Best Seller, sharing the stories of members from each federally recognized tribe in the U.S.

This exhibition was co-sponsored by the Union Art Gallery, Sociocultural Programming, UWM Women’s Resource Center, American Indian Student Center, and the Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education, with thanks to the Indian Community School for their participation.

October 5 – November 3, 2023

The Crossing Over exhibition showcases work created by undergraduate students of the UWM Peck School of the Arts, Department of Art and Design, who have received a scholarship and/or fellowship award in 2023. This exciting annual exhibition highlights the exceptional artwork produced by these promising emerging artists in a wide range of mediums and themes.