THE MUSEUM ISN’T MOVING: Does This Look Like Our Museum?

Milwaukee Public Museum. (n.d.). Milwaukee Revealed. In Future Exhibits. Retrieved October 2025, from https://www.mpm.edu/future/exhibits/milwaukee-revealed

For decades, the Milwaukee Public Museum has been our city’s time capsule — a place where generations walked through the Streets of Old Milwaukee, visited the European Village, and marveled at handcrafted WPA-era dioramas that told our story.

We were told the museum was moving. But the truth is, it’s being rebuilt from scratch.

The Language Shift That Exposes the Truth

In official updates, the museum now describes its “Future Museum” as featuring “immersive scenery,” “replicas,” and “rotating galleries.”  These words, lifted straight from MPM’s own Living in a Dynamic World page, don’t describe preservation — they describe replacement.

And in the museum’s fabrication announcement, CEO Dr. Ellen Censky said the quiet part out loud:

“Building an entire museum and creating all of the exhibits from the ground up is a unique undertaking.”

That statement alone confirms it: this isn’t a move. It’s a total rebuild.

Who’s Building It — and Why That Matters

MPM hired Kubik Maltbie, an international fabrication firm known for designing large-scale immersive installations and branded experiences. On its own website, Kubik Maltbie describes itself as “a full-service fabricator of world-class, large-scale environments, exhibits, and branded experiences, integrating scenic production, AV, lighting, and show-control systems.”

In plain terms, Kubik builds spectacle.  Their clients include corporate destinations, high-traffic attractions, and international museums seeking interactive, commercial-grade environments. They’re masters of themed production — not historic conservation.

Kubik. (n.d.). Architectural Environments [Web page]. In Work. Retrieved October 2025, from https://thinkubik.com/work/#architectural-environments

So ask yourself: Does this look like our museum? Does it look like a place where generations of Milwaukeeans recognize the dioramas, murals, and artifacts built by hand, with public funds, during the WPA era?

What’s Really at Stake

Milwaukee County’s 2013 Lease and Management Agreement states that the County owns more than just the accessioned collections. It owns the building, fixtures, exhibits and improvements — property held in public trust. Yet the museum’s leadership may be redefining original art and dioramas as “non-collection personal property,” clearing the path for their sale, disposal, or destruction.

That’s why this isn’t just about aesthetics or nostalgia. It’s about ownership, honesty, and accountability.

A Museum Without Memory

When a public museum becomes a privately controlled attraction, something deeper is lost. It’s not just the dioramas or murals — it’s the connection between generations, the ability to stand in the same room your grandparents once visited and see the same handmade scenes.

What We Can Do

The good news: Milwaukee still has a voice. We can demand transparency, oversight, and a full inventory of what will move, what will be remade, and what will disappear.

Here’s how:

1. Ask your County Supervisor where the list of preserved exhibits is.

2. Contact MPM’s Board and demand an accounting of all of the items in the museum - not just the collections.

3. Join the Save MPM Coalition at SaveMPM.org to stay informed and help defend Milwaukee’s heritage.

Because when the public is kept in the dark, we all lose what belongs to us. But when we shine a light on the truth, we preserve what’s ours — together.