*Now through Thursday, Oct. 10, the Milwaukee Film Festival will continue screening its collection of 240 films from 44 countries. Featured films cover a number of categories from children’s films to documentaries and short films to productions by local artists. Films are shown at Landmark Oriental Theatre, Landmark Downer Theatre and Fox-Bay Cinema Grill, all in Milwaukee. Admission to general festival films costs $10 for the general public, $9 for senior and students, $8 for Milwaukee Film members, and $6 for kids age 12 and younger. For more information about ticket options, film screenings and additional film festival events, visit www.mkefilm.org.
*Thursday, Oct. 3, Target Free First Thursday will grant free admission to visitors at the Milwaukee Art Museum, located at 700 N. Art Museum Dr. in Milwaukee. Admission is free from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the first Thursday of each month, courtesy of Target. For more information, visit http://mam.org/calendar/events/.
*Thursday, Oct. 3, the South Milwaukee Downtown Market will feature food and products from more than 60 vendors along 11 and Milwaukee Avenues in South Milwaukee. Items for sale include fruits, vegetables, baked goods, flowers, jewelry, artwork and more. The market runs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Thursday through Oct. 10. For more information about participating vendors and their goods, visit www.smmarket.org.
*Friday, Oct. 4, Alverno College will hold the Alverno Community Conference centered on the theme, “The Art of Happiness.” The event, open to the public, will feature a keynote speech by Dr. Parker Palmer, a world-renowned author, speaker and activist focused on education, leadership and social change. The annual event will also include 28 topics related to happiness explored through three concurrent sessions. Attendees will be able to select which topics they would like to learn about. They will also have a chance to take part in an afternoon “Happy Hour” of music-making and hands-on activities. The conference will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Alverno College, located at 3400 S. 43rd St. in Milwaukee. Cost for the general public is $25 per individual for the full day and $15 per individual for half day participation. Anyone with an Alverno connection can get in for free. For more information or to register, visit www.alverno.edu/communityconference.
*Wednesday, Oct. 9, BizTimes Media will present its annual Manufacturing Summit with a focus on design thinking as a means of sparking innovation within manufacturing. The event will feature a panel of design thinking experts from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD), Trostel Ltd., GE Healthcare, Johnson Controls Inc., and Briggs & Stratton. A second panel will cover topics related to logistics, inventory control, financing growth, QRM and lean. The summit, which will coincide with the Wisconsin Manufacturing & Technology Show, will run from 7:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. at the Wisconsin State Fair Exposition Center, located at 8200 W. Greenfield Ave. in West Allis. Cost to attend is $35 for individuals and $280 for a table of eight. For more information, visit www.biztimes.com/section/ManufacturingSummit.
*Sunday, Oct. 13, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center will open a series of five exhibitions exploring the work of Chicago artist Ray Yoshida, who taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for almost 40 years. The series, titled “The Open Eye,” will feature Yoshida’s collections and own work with samples of folk art, manufactured goods, pop culture pieces, fine artworks and ethnographic art. Each exhibition varies in starting and ending dates, but all will be open to the public by Oct. 13. The John Michael Kohler Arts Center is located at 608 New York Ave. in Sheboygan. For more information about hours of operation, admission and “The Open Eye,” visit www.jmkac.org.
