Beauty Opens the Door to Join Us

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service captured the spirit of the projects initial phases in this online article.

This community mural was created in collaboration with artist Jeannette Martín and was completed with residents from the surrounding Muskego Way neighborhood. It is painted on the east-facing wall of El Rey foods overlooking "Butterfly Park'. Formerly a vacant lot at the busy intersection of S. 13th and W. Forest Home Ave, Juanita Valcarcel, then-Program Director of Southside Neighbors Helping Neighbors (SNHN) helped organize the initiative to restore the lot and paint the mural with support from staff and volunteer community leaders. The project was supported through Milwaukee Christian Center's Building Neighborhood Capacity Program (BNCP).

 SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Official unveiling celebration with Mayor Tom Barrett as guest speaker

Left to right: Arlene, me, Mayor Tom Barrett, Juanita. I couldn't have done this without Juanita's support, flexibility and enthusiasm and dedication to the project. At the time this was the largest mural I participated in to date, and it took trust from all in involved to pull this huge undertaking off. I am grateful to SNHN!

Below: My first day painting on the wall after the public paint weekend. I wanted to test it out, seeing how it felt. I had never painted directly on brick before. On average I worked 6 hours per day, 5-7 days per week weather permitting, mostly during August and September. I averaged four non-consecutive whole weeks during that period while I was also working on other projects, including Milwaukee Gaia Buddha in Black Cat Alley.

COMMUNITY PAINT DAYS - August 4th 4-8pm; August 5th & 6th 2pm-6pm

 Old friends from prior projects, and new ones!

 Marina (right) partipated in one of the creative visioning sessions.

PROJECTING AND TRACING - End of July

 Artist Jeanette Martin and Tia tracing outlines using a projector

Pulling an all-nighter to finish tracing the design, using a projector at a distance of around 15 feet froom the wall. This picture shows an attempt at projecting one image, but ultimately it needed to be cut in Photoshop and projected in four different sections. 

JULY 6, 2016

At our last session I revealed the design for group approval and feedback. I created several butterfly versions since I wasn't sure yet which color route to go. Everyone loved the purple and blue version, and responded with resounding enthusiasm to the question of whether or not include the butterfly as a central image. I heard them loud and clear!

During the same session I facilitated the group in creating a theme statement that summed up the culminating focus point that stood out over the last two sessions. It was shortened to "A connected, vibrant community reclaiming the beauty, history, and identity through an open space of unity".

JUNE 18 & JUNE 22, 2016

Our first and second sessions were creative, visualizing and storytelling workshops. They were designed to both create a space for neighbors to learn new things they could appreciate about each other, and to decide together what was most important to them as a theme.

Conversation was guided by questions: "When was a time someone in your community did something for you that touched your heart?" or, If you were a flower what kind of flower would you be? If your community were a flower what kind would it be? Answers:
Pea vine and trellis (neighborhood needs alot of structural support)
Rosebush (roses need each other; thorns are a painful part of life but beauty thrives anyway)
Butterfly (personal transformation and beauty)
Annatto (native plant of Puerto Rico, noted for its rich dyes)
Stinkflower (don't judge a book by its cover!)
Cempazuchi (Marigold; traditional Mexican use in honoring the dead and ancestors)
Moonflower (only blooms at night, personal symbol of feeling the most awake creatively)

Watercolor paintings were beautifully done and painted with so much heart, even for first-timers. This goes to show how everyone's voice counts, whether you are an artist or not. Everyone got to include a piece of themselves in the final vision.

Neighbors planting flowers to beautify and create pride, fixing up houses

Multicolored eye represents diversity; neighbors communicating and looking out for each other