Milwaukee Art Museum Shares Plans to Expand Museum Store, Brings Back Iconic Calatrava-Designed Displays

Museum Store will double in size, offer stunning new architectural views, increase its merchandise selection, and launch modernized online store.  

Rendering of the Museum Store entrance by Kahler Slater courtesy of the Milwaukee Art Museum

MILWAUKEE, WI—October 28, 2024—The Milwaukee Art Museum is thrilled to announce a major expansion of its Museum Store, located within the iconic Santiago Calatrava-designed Quadracci Pavilion. This November, the store will more than double in size, expanding from one level to two, and offer an even wider selection of jewelry, designer goods, Museum-branded merchandise, and much more just in time for the holiday season.  

“This project has been in the works for some time, and we’re thrilled it’s becoming a reality,” said Karen Brandolino, Director of Retail Operations. “The store’s refreshed direction was designed with our fabulous patrons in mind, solidifying the Museum Store’s position as the most artful shopping destination in Milwaukee.” 

The Museum Store opens to the public on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, with a new footprint that extends to the second level and includes the once-private Quadracci Suite, a space that features Calatrava’s signature organic architecture. The suite overlooks Windhover Hall, allowing visitors to see this visually striking space from a new angle. Shopping on the first level will feature an original Calatrava-designed oval cabinet and even more Museum merchandise, including apparel, exhibition-specific products, and gifts for creative kids. The second level will welcome back the original Calatrava-designed pearwood display case with a robust selection of high-end jewelry, home décor, art books, and designer objects. 

“The Calatrava, as it’s affectionately called by Milwaukeeans, plays a big role in the overall Museum experience. The expansion of the popular Museum Store, both inside this iconic building and online, will delight visitors with new opportunities to connect to and support the Museum,” said Scott Schwebel, Chief Experience Officer. “The refreshed experiences—in addition to cool, unique products—will make the store a must-shop retail destination for visitors, art lovers, and creatives alike.” 

In addition to the brick-and-mortar store, the Museum launches a refreshed online store. The new MAMstore.org features a contemporary design, exclusive inventory, and an enhanced shopper experience. The web-based MAMstore features a custom print shop where visitors can now—for the first time—order custom-framed, archival-quality prints of artworks featuring favorites from the Museum’s collection. For updates on the Museum Store, follow @shopmamstore on Instagram.  

Every purchase at the Museum Store or MAMstore.org directly supports the Museum’s mission to share extraordinary works of art, reveal their compelling stories, and create meaningful experiences to grow and inspire our community. 

About the Milwaukee Art Museum 

The Milwaukee Art Museum is an essential destination for art and architecture and a vital cultural resource that connects visitors to dynamic art experiences and one another. Housed in iconic buildings by Santiago Calatrava, Eero Saarinen, and David Kahler on a 24-acre lakefront campus, the Museum is Wisconsin’s largest art institution and home to both broad and deep collections, with exceptional holdings in American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts; conceptual and minimalist art; prints and drawings; European art from the Renaissance through the nineteenth century; photography and new media; modern and contemporary design; folk and self-taught art; and twentieth-century Haitian art. A bold symbol of Milwaukee’s ambition and forward-thinking vision, the Museum is a place for community building, education, and celebration that fosters creativity, free speech, and critical discourse for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. For more information, visit mam.org

Media Contact 

For more information, please contact:  

Cortney Heimerl / Lindsey Wurz 
Milwaukee Art Museum 
communications@mam.org    
414-940-0490 / 414-224-3865 

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