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.
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.
Sharon Kilfoy, owner of the Willy Street Art Center, joins Tony Castaneda in the studio to talk about a county-wide mural program to be developed in partnership with Dane Arts.
John Quinlan sits down with Sharon Kilfoy, a local artist who creates mixed media art and murals with local people to benefit the community.
The Mural Arts project, created by the organization Dane Arts, will hire community residents to help paint murals on the numerous public buildings across Dane County. Along the way, organizers hope it will bring people together to talk about what a healthy community should look and feel like.
A new mural project in Dane County will strive to bring communities together by transforming blank walls into colorful pieces of art.
The Mural Arts project, created by the organization Dane Arts, will hire community residents to help paint murals on the numerous public buildings across Dane County. Along the way, organizers hope it will bring people together to talk about what a healthy community should look and feel like.
South side residents will have the chance to collaboratively paint two murals this spring and summer as part of a neighborhood project hosted by Dane Arts Mural Arts in partnership with Sustain Dane's program smART (Sustainability + Madison + Art).
My bright idea for 2015 would be that Madison neighborhoods and elected officials throw their full support behind the Dane Arts Mural Arts (DAMA) program. It is an initiative to create and place public art on buildings and walls throughout Dane County. DAMA artists will work with and in both urban and rural communities in an effort to build community engagement and transform the visual landscape in which we live and work. We would all benefit from its success.
