Milwaukee artist Whitney Nettles put the finishing touches on Tuesday on a new mural that adorns the building housing The Little Village Play Café, a coffee shop and indoor play place for children and families in Wauwatosa.
“Field of Play,” the second mural installed as part of the Milwaukee Brewers #BeyondTheDiamond community engagement efforts, promotes teamwork, togetherness, belonging and community.
“This was not a small project and Whitney really knocked it out of the park,” said Abigail Gilman, a Wauwatosa resident and owner of The Little Village, which opened in March 2023 at 6505 W. North Ave.
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“When I opened the space, I dreamt about there being a mural here but opening a small business is expensive and murals are also very expensive, so I was so excited when Discover Wauwatosa reached out to me and brought this opportunity to us. I’m also so very grateful for the Brewers.”
Nettles said she’s been working with Gilman on branding and other projects for The Little Village. “She has always been such a huge advocated for adding to your village and being there for other people,” Nettles said.
The mural, which adds to those efforts, required Nettles and others assisting her to dedicated more than 170 hours of combined effort over the past week to ensure completion of the project.
“The is the hugest mural I have ever done and the most textured mural I have ever done,” Nettles said. “I couldn’t have done it without all the people helping me, without Abi asking me to do this or without the Brewers doing this wonderful thing of including art in the community.”
Rick Schlesinger, president of business operations for the Brewers, said it’s the hope of all involved in the project that children become inspired by the messages contained in the mural.
“We hope they have fun here and we hope that this establishment becomes a great beacon for the community and inspires people to think of teamwork, being curious and playing hard,” he said.
Brewers’ relief pitcher Bryan Hudson, wearing his Brewers jersey, joined a group of wide-eyed children for a class dedicated to the creation of “slime” that included dirt from the infield at American Family Field.
“It’s really important that the Brewers get to engage in the community,” Hudson said. “The painting is really awesome. Play hard, go team. Those are things we do every single day out on the field.”
Hudson kept his remarks brief because of the oppressive heat and humidity at the mid-day gathering and because he had more important matters to handle. “I’m excited to get my hands dirty in the slime with the kids,” he said.
Youngsters also made baseball pennants that will be installed at American Family Field, created their own trading cards and enjoyed games and other fun in celebration of the mural’s completion.
“Today’s gathering is a perfect marriage of baseball and art,” said Wauwatosa Mayor Denis McBride, who donned a Brewers T-shirt for the gathering.
Gilman, the mother of three children, said her goal in establishing The Little Village is to create a hub for parents, caregivers and families with young children.
“In places like ours, where the weather is either very cold or very hot, there are not often spots to go where you can spend time with little kids (inside) and it can be isolating to be in your home,” she said. “Our goal was to build a space where families can come together and we can rally around each other and support one another and cheer each other on. When the Brewers came to me, I thought about how synergistic it is that we are creating this mural and putting this piece on our building that stands for all the things we believe so strongly in.”
