Advocate for the ARTS

Tracy Milkowski didn’t grow up honing any artistic skill.

“I loved to draw as a kid but I was terrible at it,” she said.

She didn’t pursue a degree in art and didn’t plan on working in the field.

And then she developed a love for what art is and does, discovered and put to use proficiency in interior design and helped lead the effort to carry on one of Port Washington’s renowned art legacies.

Milkowski, the vice president for institutional advancement at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, served as chairman of the board for the Port Washington-Saukville Arts Council for two and a half years, taking over after the death of Gallery 224 founder Jane Suddendorf.

When Milkowski attended the first board meeting, she said “it was clear they needed a board chair.” She volunteered.

At the same time, Milkowski landed a new job at MIAD, stepping into an ongoing $10 million campaign. She was also tending to her ill mother.

“It was exhausting at the time,” she said of the multiple new priorities. “I’m glad I did it.”

Milkowski has since left the Gallery 224 board but still remains in contact. At one point, she was on eight nonprofit boards and needed a break.

Gallery 224, she said, is in good hands with more programming, workshops and other events to come.

“I think there are really good things on the horizon there,” Milkowski said.

Art was not in her sights until years after she was married. Milkowski and her husband George visited a friend’s house that was adorned with contemporary art.

“It opened our eyes,” she said.

They also had moved to Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward.

“We started going to gallery night and got introduced to mid-century modernism,” Milkowski said.

They designed their condo from scratch — it was a white box, Milkowski said — and later did the same with their three-story townhouse in Port Washington, which provides an exquisite atmosphere with attention to detail while doubling as a functional living space.

Some of the signature items include replicas of a Wassily Chair designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925, a Barcelona chair designed by Mies van der Rohe in 1929 and a Round Chair designed by Hans Wegner in 1949 that later became known as the President Chair or Kennedy Chair after John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon sat in them during a 1960 debate on TV.

That furniture, Milkowski said, never goes out of style.

“It’s these classic modern pieces we can have forever,” she said.

A large acrylic piece called “Pure Love” hangs on a wall. The couple looked for the perfect piece for a year before finding it while on vacation in Key West, Fla., last year.

Milkowski is the daughter of two factory workers who always encouraged her interests. She remembers weaving a “lopsided basket” in school that they kept on display.

While Milkowski focused on a business career starting back at high school in Wilmost, Wis., art was lurking in the background. Her favorite class in college was art history.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mount Mary University and later a master’s of business administration from Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon.

Her career started at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where surgeons asked her to decorate their homes.

After 15 years in health care, Milkowski wanted a change and became the director of the Women’s Leadership Institute at Mount Mary University. That’s where her boss kept telling Milkowski she’s a natural fundraiser. But Milkowski had no interest in asking people for money.

“I said no to her for six months,” she said.

Milkowski finally agreed, becoming the major gifts officer at the school, and has loved her career ever since. She worked at two other colleges before coming to MIAD in 2021.

“So many people want to give back. A lot of these organizations and individuals care so deeply. I get to meet these people and talk to them and make a difference,” Milkowski said.

She was the emcee of MIAD’s gala last year that celebrated the school’s half century anniversary and raised $625,000. She also was the emcee and auctioneer for the Paint on Port gala fundraiser last fall and helped with Port’s Heart of the Harbor project.

Milkowski touts the vital role art plays in society, and it’s plenty more than just something pretty to look at.

Art spurs economic growth and revitalization and encourages tourism, boosting restaurant and hotel business, she said.

It draws people to want to live in the area, increasing property values.

It decreases anxiety and, she said, studies show school dropout rates fall when students are involved in art.

“A strong art scene is important to communities for so many reasons,” Milkowski said.

Port, she said, is fortunate to have Gallery 224, the Mercantile Exchange and shops like the Purple Turtle and Locally Inspired that promote local artists.

She regularly has to promote the connection between MIAD and career opportunities.

“People don’t understand. They think there’s no future for them,” Milkowski said.

“We have product designers and graphic artists.”

Twenty MIAD alumni work for Milwaukee Tool and one helped design the new Milwaukee Bucks’ logo and others helped design Harley-Davidson’s first electric motorcycle.

“It’s amazing what creativity does for people,” Milkowski said.

She loves being around talented students at MIAD, then seeing Port’s murals on her way home.

Milkowski is also willing to support nonprofit organizations’ campaigns to raise money and sometimes earns referrals. She is willing to meet for lunch and share some of the skills she has picked up.

“A lot of times they need guidance in  fundraising. I’m happy when I can help in any way,” she said.

“There are so many good people who want to do right by their communities. They have the passion.”

Her husband works as a mechanical engineer — unlike Milkowski, he draws well, she said — and the two combine their skill sets when designing their homes.

They grew up minutes from each other but didn’t meet until well after high school. George recognized Milkowski during “Seinfeld” night with 10-cent chicken wings at jam-packed McGillycuddy’s in Milwaukee. They have been married nearly 25 years and enjoy living in a small town with an urban feel. Hiking on the Ozaukee Interurban Trail, at Riveredge or along the lake are among their favorite activities when they’re not taking in the local art scene.