After AG’s inaugural 2025 WisCANsin-themed Canstruction® participation, the team was ready for round two. In honor of the Milwaukee Public Museum’s last year before its highly anticipated and historic 2027 move, AG was one of 11 teams that embraced the challenge of creating CAN’t Forget the Magic—themed sculptures to celebrate the most iconic and cherished exhibits.
Creativity for a Good Cause
The creative event is a partnership between the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM), Women in Design, Wisconsin Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (Wisco NOMA), American Institute of Architects (AIA), and the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center (JCC). It provides an opportunity for Milwaukee-area architecture, engineering, and construction professionals to put their creativity and technical skills to the test while raising hunger awareness. The teams design and construct sculptures with canned goods and non-perishable food items, which are then donated to the Jewish Community Pantry.
Inspired by The Streets of Milwaukee
When selecting an iconic exhibit, the AG Team unanimously desired to tackle a Canstruction recreation of “The Streets of Old Milwaukee” trolley. From concept to completion, their goal was to celebrate the essence of the cherished feature of the museum’s walk-through diorama.
According to team member Kyra Orvis, an artistic lens (think Minecraft or cross-stitch influences) informed the design strategy. The creative thought process explored how individual units contribute to the greater whole. The trolley image was broken into units and then examined one block or pixel at a time. “This approach supported the translation into the can sculpture, determining scale by creating a small door or window and then referring back to the reference photo for a proper match,” describes Orvis.
While the cans provided the foundational elements, it was soon determined that there would be a weight issue with the roof construction, so additional food supplies were contemplated. “We determined that boxes would be a smarter roof solution, so then we incorporated boxes throughout the sculpture,” says Orvis.
In the end, the design incorporated a variety of food items to meet aesthetic and structural needs. The foundation of the sculpture included coffee grounds, ranch and green bean cans. An assortment of boxes, including protein spaghetti, rotini pasta, shells and cheese, and Cheerios, achieved desired design elements and provided the proper roof solution. Taco seasoning packets and bags of dry black and navy beans added finishing touches for the “Full Stop, Full Plates: A Can-nection to Our Past” design.
AG’s Top Notch Teamwork
This unique event showcased AG’s collaborative strengths with design, project management, and engineering minds coming together for a good cause. From conceptual design and technical drawings to cutting, painting, managing, and coordinating, the project provided opportunities for numerous team members to get involved. Thank you to Kyra Orvis, Dave Manke, Chris Doerner, Megan Scott, Louis Vanden Bush, Katie Tyree, and Katie Miller for your contributions throughout the entire process, and to Tamanna Toma, Lizbeth Wilson, Daniel Fischer, and Marcia Zalenski for additional support. A special thank you to our UWM build day helpers, Matthew Eppler and Aaron Evraets.
“We came up with a solid design and were prepared and ready to go on build day,” says Orvis. “We worked really well together and got everything up pretty quickly. Most importantly, when we faced a mid-build challenge, we were able to stay positive and improvise. We problem-solved quickly and came up with a solution that worked better than anticipated.”
Special Recognition & Event Success
Bringing the Streets of Old Milwaukee trolley to life as can art provided another fun exploration of AG’s tagline—Bright Vision. Bold Communities. The camaraderie, collaboration, and contribution to hunger awareness reinforce the commitment to a sense of community, which is at the heart of the firm.
During the awards ceremony, the AG team was honored with the Structural Ingenuity award. “Considering the on-the-spot structural problem we faced and the quick thinking teamwork, this award is meaningful for us in so many ways,” says Orvis. The other presented awards included best meal, best use of labels, most cans, and the people’s choice.
While pleased by the special recognition for their design and hard work, the team and firm are most proud of their contribution to the event’s overall success. Canstruction 2026 provided over 35,000 cans of nonperishable food items to the Jewish Community Pantry.
The AG Team looks forward to putting their creativity, technical thinking, and structural integrity to the test for the 2027 Canstruction challenge.
