Send a text

Wilbur and Ardie Halyard founded Columbia Savings and Loan, Wisconsin’s first Black-owned bank, to help Black families access credit and buy homes in segregated Milwaukee. Beyond their groundbreaking work in finance, the Halyards were deeply involved in community activism, including revitalizing local chapters of the NAACP. Their legacy lives on today through the streets that bear their names and through Halyard Park, the Bronzeville neighborhood shaped by their commitment to a more just and equitable city.

Find more programs at https://www.milwaukeepbs.org/stream

Send a text

Edna Ferber, the Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist who grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, sharpened her storytelling skills as a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal. From her Midwest roots to the Hollywood adaptations of her bestselling books — including the iconic “Showboat” — we explore how Ferber’s sharp wit, bold characters and sweeping narratives made her one of America’s most celebrated literary voices.

Find more programs at https://www.milwaukeepbs.org/stream

Send a text

Black Nouveau  speaks with Element Everest-Blanks, Amplifier in Residence at the Marcus Performing Arts Center.

Find more programs at https://www.milwaukeepbs.org/stream

Send a text

Jimmy Banks discovered the game of soccer while growing up in the Westlawn Housing Project and soon became an All-American player at Custer High School. He then went on to play for the U.S. national team in the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. But he's most remembered for returning home to grow the game in Milwaukee's Black neighborhoods and for all he did off the field.

Find more programs at https://www.milwaukeepbs.org/stream

Send a text

Charlotte Partridge and Miriam Frink have been called the “matriarchs of Milwaukee modernism.” The two visionaries founded the Layton School of Art, which would eventually become the spiritual predecessor of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. Their bold ideas left an indelible mark on the city’s creative landscape — even after the women were coerced to step away from the very institution they built. Their legacy, however, proved far more resilient than the forces that tried to diminish it.

Find more programs at https://www.milwaukeepbs.org/stream

Send a text

“Someday” by Mark Richard is a hopeful and forward-looking song about embracing change and believing in what’s to come. Blending heartfelt vocals and reflective lyrics, the track captures the spirit of optimism that inspired the title of his album Someday. It’s a reminder that growth, peace, and possibility are always just ahead — maybe not today, but someday. 🌤️

Find more programs at https://www.milwaukeepbs.org/stream

Send a text

One of the most inspiring things about artists is how they push the boundaries of their craft. As an artist you always have to keep searching for something that brings a fresh perspective to your work. For Milwaukee painter Jimmy Cobb he figured out how to make his paintings more than just images on a canvas. Jimmy is a graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. At MIAD he took a class about how to build your own canvas'. That class focused on the traditional rules and aspects of canvas making. " Jimmy said, "As a student I thought 'Ok, how can I break all those rules?'"

Jimmy makes his own canvas'. He doesn't build the traditional squares and rectangles that most painters use. Instead, his canvas' are all different shapes, sizes, and materials. Some of his canvas' are circular with parts of the frame intersecting the painting. Some are old window panes or discarded lumber. Some use the Japanese process of Shou Sugi Ban, charring the wood until its is blackened and carbonized. Some are three dimensional with parts of the paintings jutting out from the front to resemble hilly terrain or waves in the water.

Jimmy works out of Pool Studio in Riverwest. Pool Studio, founded by Jimmy, is a collective of artists that work in several different mediums. There is a musician, a filmmaker, a graphic designer and Jimmy, all under one roof pooling their resources and exchanging ideas. Jimmy's goals as an artist is to combine sculpture and painting to make people think about what's possible. He wants people to be curious about how they can break conventional norms to make their mark on our community. 

Find more programs at https://www.milwaukeepbs.org/stream

Send a text

“Lancing in the Sun” by Milwaukee violinist Nathaniel K. Lynn paints a vivid picture of open fields and radiant light. Inspired by the beauty of nature and the joy of simplicity, the piece invites you to imagine running freely through meadows, feeling the warmth of the sun and the peace of the moment. 🌞🎻

Find more programs at https://www.milwaukeepbs.org/stream

Send a text

Wisconsin singer-songwriter ILa Rose returns with her hauntingly beautiful original song, “Milkweed.”

Rooted in poetic lyricism and intimate folk-pop storytelling, Milkweed explores love, loss, and the feeling of being left behind after giving too much of yourself away. Inspired by personal experiences and the fragility of connection, Ila compares herself to milkweed — nourishing, delicate, and easily forgotten once the butterflies have flown.

Written during a season of reflection and refined through creative workshops, Milkweed captures that bittersweet tension between tenderness and pain, between wanting to be loved and learning to protect your own heart. With evocative lyrics and Ila’s signature emotional honesty, this song is both cathartic and quietly empowering.

🎶 “I was milkweed three feet high. I gave my love, he took the bite. Now he’s full on thistle — I’m left starving. Butterflies are fickle.”

Find more programs at https://www.milwaukeepbs.org/stream

Send a text

Join Milwaukee keyboardist Lucas Labau as he performs his own energetic take on the classic jazz standard “Mac the Knife.”

Originally made famous by Bobby Darin, this timeless tune has been part of Lucas’s repertoire since his early days learning jazz. In this performance, he adds his own flavor—mixing modern phrasing, rhythmic drive, and improvisational “sauce” to make the standard uniquely his own.

Lucas shares his love of jazz and the importance of learning the ever-growing list of standards that keep the genre alive at jam sessions and beyond.

Find more programs at https://www.milwaukeepbs.org/stream