Opening Reception: Strike at Allis Chalmers and Other Wisconsin Stories

Thursday, June 25, 2026
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM CDT
Charles Allis Art Museum
Milwaukee, WI
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About This Event

This Exhibition explores the struggle of the Allis-Chalmers workers in their heroic strike for union security and higher wages at the West Allis plant first in 1941 and again in 1946. These workers organized a powerful union, United Auto Workers (UAW) 248, which became the backbone of the broader Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in Wisconsin. Their strike was met with repression, water cannons, and armored vehicles. The union's militant story is told through a large scale woodcut, historical photos, film and ephemera. Their story is our history; an urban industrial working class fighting for a better life. This Exhibition also explores other Wisconsin working class history, social movements, and folk culture, depicting a history and art practice for the many.

Where It's Happening

Charles Allis Art Museum
1801 North Prospect Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53202
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Meet the Organizer

Charles Allis Art Museum

Charles Allis Art Museum is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization enriching Milwaukee’s quality of life by creating opportunities for residents and visitors to experience history, culture, and the arts, in particular by offering vibrant exhibitions and performances in a stately and intimate urban mansion, which permanently houses the art collection of Sarah and Charles Allis.

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1801 North Prospect Avenue
Milwaukee, WI
+1 (414) 296-1101