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Milwaukee VA Medical Center unveils new arts beautification effort with help from Brewers

Two mascots in blue robes hold a bat as a man looks on.
Milwaukee Brewers mascots joined Brewers Community Foundation executive director Cecelia Gore and James McLain, the executive director of the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, to unveil a new art display at the medical center Aug. 13, 2026. The new display is the first installation in a multi-year effort thanks to funding donated by the Brewers Community Foundation to beautify spaces around the Zablocki VA Medical Center with patriotic art featuring different branches of the Armed Forces, iconic local landmarks, and Veteran-created art.

By Joseph Trovato, Public Affairs Officer

The Milwaukee VA Medical Center unveiled a new art display honoring its longstanding relationship with Milwaukee baseball during a ceremony Aug. 13.

The art installation, which depicts a 1950s era photo of Veterans taking in a then-Milwaukee Braves baseball game, marked the first of what will be a multi-year effort to install many artistic displays around the medical center thanks to donated funds from the Milwaukee Brewers Community Foundation.

Milwaukee’s beloved baseball teams and the Milwaukee VA campus hold a long and interwoven history.

In 1949, the Milwaukee VA sold 94 acres to Milwaukee County for the construction of what became Milwaukee County Stadium – the longtime home of the Milwaukee Braves and later the Milwaukee Brewers, as well as the part-time home of the Green Bay Packers.

When the stadium opened, bleachers were built on the bluff overlooking the stadium called “Mockingbird Hill,” where Milwaukee VA hospital patients and staff had a view into the stadium and could watch ballgames for free. Stadium expansion in the 1970s later closed off the view and the bleachers were eventually removed.

That era of Milwaukee history will now be permanently commemorated with the newly unveiled display in the medical center’s South Entrance for Veterans and staff to enjoy, but its unveiling is only the beginning. 

The Brewers Community Foundation donated funds for the medical center to beautify its spaces and enhance the Veteran experience, and according to James McLain, the executive director of the Zablocki VA Medical Center, the hospital envisions new art displays on each of Zablocki’s 10 floors. Each display will pay homage to different branches of the Armed Forces, iconic local landmarks, while others will feature art developed by Veterans and Zablocki staff.

Courtney Zeller, lead recreation therapist at the Milwaukee VA, oversees Veterans’ participation in the National Creative Arts Festival as well as other art therapy programs such as water color workshops and the Veterans in Focus therapeutic photography group.

She said these forms of therapy play a deeply meaningful role in supporting the well-being of Veterans.

“These programs provide a space for Veterans to express themselves, build confidence, and connect with others through creativity,” Zeller said. “The artwork created in these programs reflects their stories, resilience and talents. We’re proud that these pieces will become part of our long-term efforts to beautify the medical center, creating welcoming spaces that honor the Veterans we serve.”

Cecelia Gore, the executive director of the Brewers Community Foundation, agreed.

“We have a longstanding relationship, and it’s been simply a pleasure to be able to identify opportunities to support the VA over many years.”

“The development you’re unveiling today and the program that will unfold for the people that you serve will, I think, be extremely meaningful and impactful, and I’m just happy we can have an opportunity to be a part of it,” she said.