And Now You're Here
“And Now You're Here” | Adam Melster
Milwaukee, WI
Created in Spring 2025
Photos provided by ACM Designs
“And Now You’re Here” is the latest work by local illustrator and educator Adam Melster, known professionally as ACM Designs. This mural brings a splash of interstellar storytelling to our ever-evolving outdoor gallery.
In this black-and-white piece, a mysterious spacewalker with an ambiguous form ascends a ladder to plant a flag beside a crescent moon — a powerful symbol of perseverance, ambition, and accepting life’s uncertainty.
“As I get older and acquire more responsibility,” Adam shares, “I understand more and more that we actually have very little control over what happens around us. Uncertainty and struggle plague our day to day, however big or small, regardless of who you are. So I’d like to think that if you could have any level of control in your life as to what happens, that you’d climb however high to make that happen for you. Understand gratitude in the gift of what you can control and navigate perseverance in what you cannot.”
Adam Melster
Adam has been creating art in Milwaukee for nearly a decade, balancing commercial illustration with storytelling-rich personal projects. Whether through advertisements or murals, his work carries a whimsical energy rooted in deeper meaning.
Stop by Black Cat Alley to experience “And Now You’re Here” — and maybe, like the astronaut, take a moment to appreciate how far you’ve come.
Follow Adam’s work at @_acmdesigns_.
