Testimonies

2022 Youth Artist Apprentice Program

This summer, DAMA launched the Youth Artists Apprentice program. It focused on leadership and community development while engaging with community members in mural-making activities. It presented a unique opportunity for Madison youths of color to learn about and become involved with their local communities through a paid summer internship. The youths learned about mural making, leadership development, community building, and soft skills to enter the competitive job market. Below are testimonials from our students.

Thank you for teaching me the confidence and the tools to believe in my abilities and offering me a summer job." D.A

"Thanks to this program, I was able to get a summer job and learned new art technics and job skills." C.G

"I could be myself in this program and explore myself in a safe and supportive environment." A.A

2018 Mount Horeb mental wellness mural testimonies

Mount Horeb mental wellness mural 2018

"Several students came to us (their art teachers) wanting to address mental health issues in our school, and they were looking for a platform to do so. We had just finished working with DAMA on the Black Earth Children's Museum mural, and had an amazing experience - we really saw how such a large scale, collaborative project could bring people together, especially those who may not consider themselves "artists". A mural was the perfect avenue to talk about mental health! DAMA took our student input and came up with a gorgeous design, they helped us with ideas for involving our entire school, and they led us through technical process beautifully. We had over 1,000 people put their hands on this mural and were able to incorporate mental wellness practices throughout the whole thing - we showed videos about mental health awareness, people collaborated and chatted about big issues, and our end result is colorful, uplifting and full of life. We are so happy with the entire cycle of the project and cannot wait to see it finally installed!"

-Anna King, art teacher

Mount Horeb Mental Wellness Mural 2018

"Our mural started when fellow students and I realized that nothing was being done for mental health awareness. A simple idea to create a piece of art turned into a movement. We were able to create a project for hundreds of people to work on while they learned about mental health. This project has allowed people to begin talking about mental illness openly and to not feel alone in the school anymore. The mural has also taught me to be persistent and to follow through with my ideas, because if you don’t follow through then you can never make a change."

-Kristen Koenig, senior leader

Mount Horeb Mental Wellness Mural 2018

"It was an incredible experience and honor to work on such a project. To be part of something so special and so meaningful has been one of the true highlights of my teaching career. When you see students buy into a project like this and want to become involved it becomes more than just a mural. I had so many kids in my classes want to be part of this and I was glad I was able to share this experience with them. Ten to fifteen years down the road they may not remember what we did in some of my classes, but those same kids will certainly remember there time spent collaborating on this project. Selfishly I was able to spend time working on this project with my own son and this is a memory I will cherish forever. To see a student led project like this that has such a profound impact on our community makes me proud to be an educator."

- Michael Cassidy, Business Education Teacher   

Mount Horeb Mental Wellness Mural 2018

"Without Ecology we wouldn't have or enjoy Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keeffe's master pieces.  Without Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keeffe we would not appreciate ecology as much as we do. Science needs Art to help visualize what we cannot see.  Science and Art collaborate to do wonderful things for art, science and the soul.   The MHHS mural created a collaboration of science and art for my science students to participate and experience a pleasure in life that will be in our school community for a life time."

-T Shay