Pride That Connects an Organization Beyond Its Walls
It stops you mid-step. Color, text, fragments of imagery—layered and colliding in a way that feels both chaotic and perfectly composed. A wall becomes a story in motion. That’s the signature of Greg Gossel: work that doesn’t just sit still, but pulls you in, asking you to look closer, to find meaning in the layers.
When Gossel returned to the Baird Center, he had already made an impression with Building Bright Futures, in the Brew City, a front-of-house piece that celebrates the spirit and potential of Milwaukee. But this time, the canvas was different. The back-of-house corridors—spaces not designed for spectacle, but for movement, routine and pause—presented a new kind of challenge. These weren’t walls for passing glances; they were for the people who power everything behind the scenes. The work had to resonate daily. It had to belong to them.
“The inspiration for my pieces was the energy of the city and to weave in color, motion and positivity,” Gossel said. “It’s cool to get behind the scenes and see so much activity and everything that’s going on back here that brings everything to life out front. And to bring some fun vibrancy to everyone back here, it seems like it’s bringing them joy.”
Gossel’s path to this kind of storytelling began with discovery. As a graphic design student at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, he encountered the layered, boundary-pushing work of pop art pioneers like Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Jasper Johns. Their ability to merge imagery, text and paint into something explosive and narrative reshaped how he saw art—and what it could do.
From there, Gossel built a style that honors that legacy while pushing it forward, blending screen printing, hand painting and collage into compositions that feel alive with energy and intention.
“I toggle between screen printing and hand painting and collage,” Gossel said. “It just kind of depends on the scale of the project and what is going to achieve the best esthetic. In the majority of my work, I never really go into it trying to convey one specific sort of message. I just try to create something that’s beautiful and inviting and interesting and hopefully that draws people in.”
That approach comes through powerfully in his two back-of-house works, each rooted in connection, but expressed in distinct ways.
The first piece brings to life the “Proud” pillar of the Wisconsin Center District’s Bold. Proud. Experience-obsessed. mindset. Layering silhouettes of staff with recognizable downtown landmarks, Proud weaves together individual identity and collective place. Rendered in the colors of Milwaukee’s unofficial People’s Flag, the mural becomes a visual bridge—linking the work happening inside the building to the energy, culture and momentum of the city beyond its walls. It’s a reminder that every role, every interaction, contributes to something larger.
In contrast, Brew City Buzz shifts the tone while keeping that same sense of connection at its core. Installed in the staff lunchroom, the piece captures the spirit of summer in Milwaukee—food, festivals, movement and joy. It’s bright, playful and unmistakably Gossel, offering a year-round reminder of the vibrancy that defines the city at its warmest and most alive.
Together, the works transform everyday spaces into something more than functional. They become immersive, layered reflections of pride, place and possibility—art that doesn’t just decorate the walls, but connects the people moving through them.
Proud and Brew City Buzz are part of the We Energies Foundation Art Collection located at Baird Center. Gossel is one of more than 35 artists, most from Milwaukee, Wisconsin or with special ties to the area who have works featured in the collection. You can discover more about the artists and their works at https://bairdcenter.com/art-collection/.