Art Gallery
Schlitz Audubon hosts seasonal artist exhibits throughout the year in our Mezzanine Art Gallery. Located on the second floor of our Visitor Center, the Art Gallery showcases local artists who create nature inspired art in a variety of mediums. The natural setting of the mezzanine gallery, which features museum quality lighting and fixtures, creates a warm ambiance and is a delightful space to view the work of talented artists. The gallery is wheelchair accessible by elevator.
Current Exhibit
Fox Point ARtists
A Collective of Fox Point & Neighboring Area Artists
May 28 – August 19, 2025
Fox Point Artists, formed in late 2024, is a collective of 37 members from the Fox Point, Bayside, Glendale, River Hills, and Whitefish Bay neighborhoods. The group seeks to establish a community of both professional and emerging artists, supporting further individual and collective artistic development and careers. They are committed to enriching the community and demonstrating that the Northshore is a creative hub through local art shows like this one.
Fox Point Artists is pleased to have Schlitz Audubon Nature Center as the location of their first show! The exhibit features 33 art pieces from 22 artists, each contributing their unique perspectives, approaches, and skills. Mediums include oil, watercolor, acrylic, sodium boride, acrylic processed with crystallized sodium chloride, mixed media collage, and ceramics. This eclectic exhibit displays both abstract and representational pieces, with many taking inspiration from nature, landscapes, and florals.
Join us for a lively, social reception on Thursday, June 19 from 4:00 – 7:00 pm. Meet the artists and fellow art lovers to discuss each wonderful piece and connect with a community of creatives.
To purchase a piece in the exhibit, please contact the artist using the corresponding identifier tag. A portion of your purchase will be donated by the artist to Schlitz Audubon.
Fox Point Artists continues to welcome artists from Bayside, Fox Point, Glendale, River Hills, and Whitefish Bay to join their group. They hold monthly meetings on Sundays at 3:00 pm. To inquire about joining them, please email algiers@chemistryinplace.net.
Featured Artwork: Attraction by J.J. Joyce
Past Exhibits
Fox Point Bayside School District Art Show
April 28 – May 23, 2025
We are pleased to welcome students from Fox Point and Bayside to show their artwork for the 3rd annual Fox-Point Bayside School District Art Show. Students in 3rd through 8th grade submitted one piece of art from a school project to display at this exhibit. They learned the valuable skill of crafting artist statements for this show!
Nature school Art Show
April 7 – April 23, 2025
View assorted process-focused artworks created by Schlitz Audubon Nature School children. In process art’s playful approach, teachers invite students to choose what and how they create by providing materials with minimal prompts or restrictions. Process art provides an array of benefits that support early childhood development. Self-directed art explorations help children cultivate a sense of agency, self-regulation, and fine motor skills. Many projects require cooperation, which builds community in the classroom and encourages social and emotional development. Children also hone their communication skills by writing and talking about their unique creations.
At the Nature School we facilitate process art that echoes the patterns of nature. Projects often reflect the ecological happenings around the Center and trails. Timescales of projects vary, and artworks sometimes evolve over many months as the seasons change and new ideas spark. It’s common for the children to create art outside and find inspiration in nature’s colors, shapes, and textures.
As you browse this gallery exhibit, we invite you to consider how each one-of-a-kind artwork represents a rich learning journey.
Milwaukee Astronomical Society
Astronomy Showcase
January 13 – March 31, 2025
Witness the beauty of the universe from Milwaukee Astronomical Society (MAS) amateur astronomers and astrophotographers. Our gallery showcases the beauty of nebulas, galaxies, auroras, star clusters and more, and tells the story of the dedicated amateur astronomer in southeastern Wisconsin photographing starlight. Experience the joy of a citizen science discovery and be intrigued by the wonders of nature to enjoy from our own patch of the Earth. Visitors will be able to elect to take a piece of the universe with them, while supporting a local non-profit dedicated to astronomy outreach in the community. Learn more at this unique gallery showcase, running January 13th through March 31st.
Join us for a unique artist reception on Thursday, January 23rd from 5pm-7pm. Be sure not to miss a special talk at 6:15pm by MAS President, Matthew Ryno, on the topic of urban astronomy in Wisconsin, citizen science, and how our astrophotography is taken. This presentation will include a demonstration.
Susan Fink
Birds of the World
September 6 – December 31, 2024
Susan Fink, Milwaukee native and award-winning photographer, will present a collection of photos titled Birds of the World. Beginning her photographic journey as a young scuba diver with a Nikonos IV underwater camera, Susan has been traveling the globe capturing stunning images of raptors in the wild. Since 2022, Susan has traveled to Africa (Kenya and Tanzania), Australasia (New Zealand, Tasmania and the Rainforests of Australia), and various locales in the US to capture images of big game and other mammals as well as birds and flora. When she’s not traveling, Susan loves to venture to local forest preserves, wildlife sanctuaries, botanic gardens, and other venues to photograph nature. She has taken portraits of our resident raptors at Raptors in Focus Photoshoot events and has been featured in our annual Raptor Calendar.
HEATHER EIDEN
Trees and Their Houses
June 1 – August 31, 2024
An exhibit of ceramics showing the relationship between buildings and nature.
Heather Eiden, a Milwaukee-based artist who has been creating fine art ceramic tiles since the 1990s, will display her current exhibit entitled Trees and Their Houses. The show is comprised of a body of artwork called House Tiles, featuring an ebb and flow of buildings and nature carved out of clay, uncovering relationships between shape and texture. House Tiles attempt to balance organic and geometric rhythms of lines made with carving tools. This collection of tiles is an evolution of artwork she calls Everyday Icons and Story Tiles, which were previous iterations of her fine art ceramic tile work.
Heather said she loves working with clay as a means to feel connected with the earth. Her education includes a degree from the fine arts department at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and an art education degree from Concordia in Mequon. Heather also studied architectural tile making at Anderson Ranch Art School in Snowmass, Colorado.
Join us to meet Heather Eiden at an artist reception for her ceramics show Trees and Their Houses, taking place on Thursday, June 27 from 5:00pm – 7:00pm. This event is free for all. Light refreshments and snacks will be served.
JoAnna Poehlmann
Fin/Feather/Fungi/Frog/etc.
September 8 – February 29, 2024
JoAnna Poehlmann is a Milwaukee–based artist who has been making art for over 60 years. She creates graphite drawings, etchings, lithographs, watercolor, mixed media sculptures, and artist books. Her work is centered around the natural world and the beauty and humor she observes in it, also drawing heavily from the history of art and literature. Her works are delicate and meticulous, and have been exhibited nationally and internationally, appearing in several major collections. JoAnna studied at the Layton School of Art, Marquette University, and the University of Wisconsin, all in Milwaukee.
JoAnna Poehlmann says of the exhibit, “The focus of ‘Fin/Feather/Fungi/Frog/etc.’ mirrors some of the endless variety and subject matter in Nature that I try to reflect and express for others to experience. Schlitz Audubon seemed the perfect place to share my vision and I am very grateful for this opportunity.”