Finalist for Milwaukee County Historical Society's Janice and Stephen Marcus Public Art Award

'Sherman Park Rising' after restoration efforts in 2024

"I feel honored to be a finalist and its one I want to share with the community.
It was they who inspired me. " ~ Tia Richardson

This project has been documented in numerous print, online, television media; including PBS, local and national news outlets, and a short documentary film about the project. You can find the film along with an essay and other information about the journey on the Sherman Park Rising project page. 

Photos from Awards Ceremony

Wednesday April 16th, 5-7pm, 2025

If you would like to learn more about the award or see this year's winner, you can visit here.

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Thanks to the Milwaukee County Historical Society for choosing the mural 'Sherman Park Rising' as one of three finalists; and for everyone who nominated it - the community, the jurors; and everybody who had a hand in making this mural possible. Stephanie Samarripa, Amanda Schick, and the team at Safe and Sound; the city Department of Neighborhood Services who commissioned me for the project.

And I want to congratulate my fellow finalists, and the mural selected as the winner - 'Mural of Peace'. 

To the community: Everyone who got together in the workshops with me for the design, and people from all over who came to the community paint days it was you who inspired me. In the midst of all the occurrences of police brutality gaining attention in our country and the traumatic event that led up to the unrest I knew there was a range of emotions people were feeling, from hot anger to cool optimism. I didn’t know how I was going to handle all those in a way where everybody could feel included in the mural. I was afraid after what the community had been through they might just want to throw paint at the wall, or worse, not want to participate at all. I was afraid I couldn’t do it.

At the time it felt like a tall order to ask people to come participate in design workshops - strangers, people who didn’t know each other, being asked to be part of a mural project. How can we come together when he have different opinions? 

Milwaukee is known for its history of being America’s #1 most segregated city. And yet, through this project, I literally felt like I was seeing black and white, young and old, come together in ways I had never experienced before in Milwaukee. Not to say it has never happened, I’m just speaking from my own experience. And I think that’s the power in this piece, is people willing to put aside our own - myself included - limiting beliefs and work together for the common good. And the art drew us together. 

One thing I learned from this experience is I had underestimated the community’s willingness to acknowledge painful issues in a constructive way. The residents, the police, community partners, Safe and Sound, the city, other community groups - many others - including the Sherman Park Community Association, the 50th St Block club, and people from all over the city - it even drew people from beyond the city - they came to be part of it. 

One day I had a busload drop off a youth group from a church 2hrs away to paint. There was so much heart, and activity in this project. That inspired me.
When you look at the images, you’re seeing the community. That’s who we are as a collective. It’s surprising to me to look back on pictures of that blank, cream city brick wall to think this would have come of it. 

But I felt in my heart, and in the hearts of others who asked me to do this, there was potential in the situation, so I took a risk, and tried to give my creative power, as best I could offer, in service to the community. I wanted them to feel like they could be creative - and inspire the design. You inspired me. When I look at the community - and you can see this in the film - you can see people speaking from their hearts in the process, participating even though we didn't know how this was going to end up. And people showed up, to paint, and cookout, and they kept coming back, day after day. So much so that I wondered if I’d ever finish it!

But I realized in those moments I needed the help. And thanks to many volunteers, we did it. Including one young girl whose grandfather asked to bring her over one day well after the period of community painting had ended. They lived down the street from the mural. I thought for a moment, and I almost said no. I was tired. But I took a long hard pause, and said yes. He brought her back the next day, and she’s maybe 15 at the time, showed me her sketchbook. Very shy, just like I was at her age. She ended up staying to paint with me the entire rest of the summer until school started. I worked with her on other projects for a few years after that. 

I was afraid to ask for help. I grew up with the idea that artists aren’t supposed to ask for help in their work, they’re supposed to do it on their own. To me art is something different. Community art is about many parts of a community working together. Not one of us in isolation from another. So when you look at this mural, you see that spirit of collaboration. And it sets us free. 

Thank you for being on this journey with me.