April 4, 2025 – A Call for Transparency and Oversight
MILWAUKEE—Pursuant to the language used at the March 13, 2025, Milwaukee County Finance Committee Meeting, where supervisors emphasized the need for quarterbacking and transparency on issues before the board on that day, we are formally requesting that a community workgroup be assigned to oversee the future of the Milwaukee Public Museum’s current building, including its artifacts, exhibits, historical improvements, and public funding.
As the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) moves forward with its $45 million taxpayer-funded relocation, a new controversy has emerged: Who really owns Milwaukee’s artifacts, exhibits, and collections, and why is there no independent oversight over these critical decisions?
At the heart of the issue is a clear legal contradiction between Milwaukee County’s longstanding ownership of MPM’s collections and exhibits and MPM leadership’s recent public statements suggesting they alone control them. This distinction, pushed forward by MPM President and CEO Dr. Ellen Censky, has raised serious concerns about transparency, governance, and public accountability in the handling of taxpayer-funded assets.
MPM’s Contradictory Position on Its Mission & Collection
Indeed, when you announced the $45 million county bond that Milwaukee taxpayers will be responsible for repaying, you publicly identified MPM as both a natural history and human history museum.
Now that you apparently have secured the funding, you are redefining MPM’s scope, declaring that MPM is only a natural history museum.
Since MPM is now moving forward as strictly a natural history museum, we formally submit a request for an open dialogueregarding the future of the historical objects, exhibits, and artifacts that no longer align with this new mission.
- What happens to the artifacts and exhibits that represent Milwaukee’s social, cultural, and industrial history?
- How will the public be involved in decisions about these taxpayer-owned assets?
- What oversight exists to ensure that historically significant items are not removed, repurposed, or discarded without public input?
Milwaukee residents deserve answers.
