It is located behind the historic Oriental Theatre (Milwaukee) and includes both temporary and semi-permanent installations by a variety of artists and art groups.
Artists whose works have been included in the alley include MTO, Koctel,[3] Daisy Gertel,[4] Jeff Redmon, Tia Richardson,[5] Brandon Minga, David Najib Kasir, Bunnie Reiss, Janson Rapisarda ("CERA"), Jeremy Novy, Thomas "Detour" Evans[6] and Bigshot Robot.
Although the alley had been a local spot for graffiti writers in Milwaukee for many decades, Black Cat Alley was officially launched in 2016[7] when local artists Stacey Williams-Ng[8] and Tim Decker successfully proposed the concept to private property owners, including Milwaukee developer New Land Enterprises, and neighborhood groups.
[9] Black Cat Alley is located on Milwaukee's East Side in what was previously an unused, privately owned alleyway.
[10] From 2014 to 2016, Stacey Williams-Ng and Tim Decker worked with the East Side BID and the various property owners to create a plan for what is now known as Black Cat Alley, a place that has since become one of Milwaukee's top ten tourist destinations, according to data provided by Visit Mke.