When Laurel Redmon of Red Sage Health asked me to paint a Harvest Moon mural on her barn in Baraboo, WI I could hardly say no. What Wisconsin muralist wouldn’t want to paint a mural on a barn? After having painted a mini-sky mural at her & John’s Willy St location, I was thrilled to make the trip to Baraboo, ride the ferry across Lake Wisconsin and work in such a lovely healing setting. Laurel, by the way, is a most gifted healer – and I hear that John is, too.
Williamson Street Art Center and UE Service-Learning-in-Art students help Sennet Middle School students make action paintings during Centro Hispano’s after school Juventud program.
“What the Bees See” is a mural completed in the last 6 weeks at Sellery Hall on the UW campus. It is in a learning area called “The Hive.”
University of Wisconsin students involved in the Wisconsin Union Directorate Art Committee decided to “take art out of the gallery” and place it where it would be seen by more students. They approached Williamson Street Art Center director Sharon Kilfoy about working with them to create a mural that would be installed on the Humanities Building. The approval process was immensely daunting, but with great determination by the students, it became a reality!
The “Story of Immigration” mural tells the story of people who endured hardships so that their children could have better lives. It starts with migrant work on Wisconsin farms – milking cows, tending fields, hauling produce to local canning factories. We see a typical family going to Centro Hispano, where they receive help in adjusting to the new environment, language, climate, food and customs, in addition to assistance in finding housing, jobs and schools. Next we see the children – graduates of higher education – celebrating with their families. The following panels depict the “Dream Act” important legislation that will allow young people brought here as children to start on a path toward citizenship. The final panel’s quote from cesar Chavez offers a message about the importance of giving back to one’s communuity. Funding for the project was provided by Dane Arts and the Madison Arts Commission.
Students from SAIL, a West High School alternative education program located at the Hoyt Building, are painting a mural that is installed in the West High School “cafenasium.” Students first surveyed the entire West High student body for ideas, and then listed and circled their favorites. They drew ideas, deciding to include local landmarks, ones from especially West High and Hoyt School.They took photos of the surrounding Hoyt Park rock formations to include in the mural. Students are pictured preparing the surface of the boards, painting the initial background of sky and a layer of a “dream landscape” that combines the beauty of Wisconsin with a contemporary look of current trends in the computer gaming world.
Leopold Neighborhood Association members, community members, and students at Leopold Elementary School sign mural panels that are installed at Leopold Park’s community garden. Community members and students also make mosaic stepping stones that are installed in the children’s garden.
