With summer slowly approaching, a new 55-foot-wide mural by Luna Creative Collaborations is coming to life outside Paleteria Yayo, 1727 W. Lincoln Ave. The art project was commissioned by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Luna Creative Collaborations is a collective of Latine artists in and around Milwaukee that produce public art, exhibitions and community-centered collaborative projects.
Rene Adan and his wife Galy Montes, the owners of Paleteria Yayo, have built good relationships with area artists, and with the Milwaukee Brewers and some of the other local sports teams.
“We’ve been the first paleteria inside the Brewers stadium and the Bucks stadium,” Adan said.
According to Aisha Valentín, a co-lead muralist on the project with Luna Creative Collaborations, Adan can always be seen repping Brewers merch at the paleteria.
“I think Rene is a big Brewers fan because every day he’s got the hat, a jersey, without fail,” Valentín said.
Adan also spoke about the pride he feels having a Major League Baseball team support the work of his small business.
“Being an immigrant here in the United States, having such a huge company see us and work with us is nice,” Adan said.
Before painting began, the project’s co-leaders, Whitney Salgado and Valentín, visited a couple of fourth grade classes across the street from the mural at Lincoln Avenue School, 1817 W. Lincoln Ave., to get input from students.
They asked the students to draw their idea of “play,” what they see in their neighborhood and what they like to do in the summer.
“Even before we talked to the students, I had very similar concepts on focusing on youth and nostalgia,” Salgado said.
The color palette of the piece is meant to tie the mural to the 2026 Milwaukee Brewers City Connect jerseys. Both feature a similar gradient designed to represent Wisconsin’s summer sunsets and the state’s natural beauty.
The owner and creative director of Luna Creative Collaborations, Katie Avila Loughmiller, plans on hosting an official unveiling in the coming weeks, once the mural is complete.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
