Good things are brewing in Milwaukee, and VISIT Milwaukee has launched a new TV series to share these stories of positivity. Good Things Brewing seeks to show what makes Milwaukee a great place to live through the eyes of some of the city’s most interesting residents.
We’re partnering with VISIT Milwaukee and speaking with some of the guests on Good Things Brewing. Samantha Timm is featured on episode three as the former curator of the St. Kate Arts Hotel in downtown Milwaukee. She along with David Caruso, the host of Good Things Brewing, discuss Milwaukee's art scene in the episode.
Timm grew up in Menomonee Falls and attended UW-Madison to study art. Afterwards, she went to graduate school at the University of York in Northern England.
"I've always loved art, always loved looking at it, being involved in it. I think what draws me to art is learning about people. It’s a way to learn about them in a very personal way that anyone can relate to, that anyone can empathize with. And I think it’s always been for me just a starting point to get to know someone," she says.
It was the Saint Kate's Hotel that eventually lured her back home to the Milwaukee area. Caruso, who grew up in Wauwatosa, was the first official Saint Kate Hotel guest and enjoyed the artistic experiences that this episode explores. "It was a great experience with Sam ... [I'm a] lover of all things creative and artistic and the seeing the creative expression of what people are possible of doing was really fun."
From exploring Saint Kate's, Sculpture Milwaukee, Mauricio Ramirez's murals, Black Cat Alley and more, Caruso says he enjoyed exploring many places and art that he personally had never experienced in this way before.
"I was so inspired by [Black Cat Alley] and it was an example of how I think Milwaukee does an excellent job of using really unique places to be filled with art," he notes.
Timm says has noticed an increase in the artistic community and spaces in Milwaukee during the time that she spent away from the area.
"The amount of creative potential and the very rich, collaborative, very generous creative spirit is what I've come to kind of immerse myself in and just love about Milwaukee again," she says. "I think [Milwaukee] just needed its time. And now it’s time. We're seeing collaboration at every level."
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