ABOUT
Humble Beginnings
The Black Cat Alley is an outdoor art gallery located in a private alley on the East Side of Milwaukee. This unique street art destination was developed by a group of community members and artists back in 2015-2016 in partnership with Wallpapered City LLC, and the East Side BID. Black Cat Alley is managed by the East Side BID and it now contains 21 murals by 24 artists from Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Columbus and even Berlin.
BCA Today
Today the Alley is home to countless wedding photos, selfies, skateboarders and music happenings. The East Side has evolved around its little mural alleyway, with new retail spots popping up all over—such as the new AXE MKE, the Sip & Purr cat café, and more, and old favorites like Colectivo enjoying more business than ever before with all the new foot traffic. Now that the Oriental Theater is home to Milwaukee Film, the whole block has really become an epicenter for the Arts in Milwaukee and Black Cat Alley is proud to be the beating heart of this District.
Artists
Artists looking to submit work to Black Cat Alley should reach out to the East Side BID. We do yearly Calls for Artists during the warmer seasons, but we also sometimes have special events with Live Art and other installations, so there's always interest. Black Cat Alley is not a free space— so if you tag there, it's vandalism. Please, don't do it! Let us invite you, and even better, let us pay you and celebrate you! We luv our artists.
