“I know we could solve the racial inequity problem with more people involved in the arts,” says Fraire, who joined the agency in 2014. “I know we could solve the achievement gap with more people involved in the arts. Because this is about building the inner spirit of the people with whom we live and love.”
Mural making is a tangible medium of expression and art is a good outlet for students’ creativity and self-expression. This is something that any high-school-age student would benefit from, and DAMA specifically focuses on bringing this program to at-risk youth to close the achievement gap.
Seven new murals were created in 2015 - our first year. These mural projects focused on under-resourced urban and rural communities throughout Dane County. Join us as we impact more Dane County citizens in 2016!
Across Madison, the sides of buildings are becoming spots where art connects with community and sustainability, creating powerful visions of a bright future.
A unique partnership has created a colorful display at a building on Madison's west side. A new mural was officially presented and dedicated in the front of the Hoyt building at 3802 Regent St. in Madison on Wednesday.
Dane Arts community murals across the city point toward an exciting future where art tells the stories and helps shape the vibrancy of neighborhoods.
Planning is underway for a new mural on the Dane County Transportation Building near Badger Road. Last month, the city received a national grant to fund sustainability projects in local communities. The money will go toward two murals. The Zion City Community Outreach Center mural was completed this year. Painting for the new mural in South Madison will take place in the spring.
When Sharon Irwin's grandson, Tony Terrell Robinson, died violently last spring, there was little she could do about her sadness, frustration and anger. But Irwin has always been an artist. Painting and drawing are intimately familiar to her. When an opportunity arose to create a public, shared portrait of Terrell, as his family called him, Irwin readily agreed to help.
A new Willy Street mural “means everything” to Sharon Irwin, the grandmother of Tony Robinson. “It’s not easy to do this,” said the professional artist, who was wiping back tears as she prepared to paint her grandson’s portrait behind the Social Justice Center on Willy Street. “There is beauty in this. There is life in this.”
A more community-based effort will include adults and children together. As part of a new public art project called Dane Arts Mural Arts, fair-goers will be able to contribute to a mural-painting project.
There will be 4-foot-by-5-foot canvases to be painted in an abstract style by those wanting to lend a brush stroke or two. The canvases will then be stretched over a frame, and gifted to the city of Fitchburg to hang in public buildings such as the library or senior center.
An Madison neighborhood is responding to violence by celebrating life, and they're doing it with art.
The idea to create a peace mural came after the shooting death of Tony Robinson on Williamson Street in March. And now, just down the street from where he died, a mural is in the works on the back of the Social Justice Center building on Willy Street.
“The vision for this mural is to celebrate lives of those who have lost their lives due to violence, who are connected to the Eastside,” said Kelty Carew, one of the lead mural artists.
Ricardo Morales, otherwise known as Richie, is a young, talented Guatemalan artist who is visiting Madison this summer. As part of an invitation extended by Centro Hispano of Dane County in partnership with Dane Arts Murals Arts (DAMA), he is painting a mural at Centro with Latino youth and doing presentations around the Madison area.
A new mural honoring the life of Tony Robinson and others with connections to the Williamson Street neighborhood who have died through violence is being constructed by community members at the rear of the Social Justice Center on Willy Street on Madison’s near east side.
Work has already begun on the Social Justice Center’s PEACE mural/mosaic/photo project that will pay homage to those who have fallen through violence and will be depicted in the mural in happier moments of their lives.
In one place, just south of the Beltline near Fish Hatchery Road, I found a mural painted in vibrant shades of yellow, orange and blue. It’s part of a program called Dane Arts Mural Arts. The project brings together skilled artists and local youth to create works of art for the public to enjoy. I learned about it from Mark Fraire, director of cultural affairs for Dane Arts, who says the project has the potential to inspire young people and give them a creative outlet.
A hardscrabble neighborhood is envisioning a better future, embodied in a beautiful mural unveiled last Friday.
Titled “Awakening,” the painted mural on the side of the Salvation Army building in the Darbo-Worthington neighborhood on Madison’s east side was painted by local children and neighborhood members.
Dane County officials and community members have recently begun work on the Dane Arts Mural Arts project, a collaborative effort aimed to train young artists and beautify neighborhoods in the Madison area.
"Arts are transformative to communities, they can create a sense of belonging for youth by beautifying communities and creating ownership of neighborhoods," Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said in a June 5 statement following DAMA's first public workshop. "This is a wonderful opportunity to engage youth while bringing together community members."
The purpose of the Dane Arts Mural Arts program, an offshoot of Dane County Cultural Affairs (Dane Arts), is to use mural making to engage at-risk youth. The program aims to train 20-30 students and five to six artists in mural making per year, with a goal of completing three or four projects annually. In addition to learning mural making techniques, students will receive job-readiness training and support in portfolio development.
About 20 people came out on Saturday afternoon to work on a new mural at Zion City Center in Madison. The event was to help launch Dane Arts Mural Arts, a new countywide program intended to train young artists, foster community and beautify neighborhoods.
