The Milwaukee Artist Resource Network (MARN), a nonprofit supporting local artists, closed its Art + Culture Hub in the Third Ward on June 30.
The hub formerly served as MARN’s headquarters, as well as a public cafe, wine bar, marketplace and gallery. The closure comes after four years of operation at 191 N. Broadway.
In a recent news release, the nonprofit faulted financial struggles as the reason for the closure, noting that much of its resources had been tied up in cafe management and overhead costs. Board Chair Pamela Anderson also said a mismanagement of funds by previous staff contributed to the financial struggles.
“We were making money, but unfortunately, there should have been some fundraising taking place, which didn’t happen,” Anderson told the Journal Sentinel. “It was a really heavy lift. It just boiled down to the fact that we didn’t have the resources anymore.”
The Art + Culture Hub opened in 2021, with its cafe originally managed by Interval Coffee, according to previous reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. After Interval’s departure in 2023, the cafe temporarily closed but re-opened a month later as MARN picked up operations in-house. It offered coffee bar staples, specialty cocktails and food from local businesses. Community events in the space ranged from painting workshops to live music.
MARN isn’t gone for good, though.
Moving forward, the release said, the nonprofit’s focus turns to “rebuilding and strengthening” its board of directors while prioritizing programming for its network of artists and paid members. Later this year, MARN intends to relaunch a flagship mentorship program for emerging artists.
Meanwhile, Anderson told the Journal Sentinel, MARN continues to search for a new location — still in the Third Ward, but hold the coffee and wine.
