About
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| 'The Rebirthing of the Earth Mother' Historic Garfield Apts. Milwaukee, WI |
TOGETHER, CREATING A VIBRANT SENSE OF COMMUNITY THROUGH LIVING ART
Offering collaborative art efforts through community murals, teaching of this unique community mural model, and sharing the philosophy and work through therapeutic workshops and film screenings. Discover the practical benefits of community art - including transformation, healing, education and creating a sense of community.
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| Tia Richardson, founder and owner of Cosmic Butterfly Design |
HISTORY
Cosmic Butterfly Design's journey began in 2003 as a freelance Graphic Design business. Tia, then studying Graphic Design at Milwaukee
Area Technical College, started it to offer her design services and inspirational art. This included portraits, handmade jewelry and hand-painted clothes, greeting cards, calendars, and anything she could dream up.
Since 2007 that work has evolved into collaborative art efforts that offer community members from all
walks of life a chance to freely express their feelings about their community.
Cosmic Butterfly Design has completed over 60 collaborative art efforts with non-profits, K-12 and
post-secondary schools, businesses and local government. In 2017 and 2020 Tia produced two short films about her biggest healing community mural projects called 'Sherman Park Rising' and 'Rockford Taking Flight'. In 2022 her children's book 'Caring All Around Me' and an accompanying workbook on healthy relating was published by Orange Hat Publishing.
Documentation of these efforts in news, print, t.v. and film show evidence how, despite our differences, we can work together for the common good.
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| Rockford Taking Flight, SecondFirst Church, Rockford IL |
CREATING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY
We all want to belong, to feel valued and cared about. better. We all have a different perspective based on our own life experience. Tia's unique community mural process offers people a chance to freely express their feelings and share ideas through unique visioning workshops for the design. The workshops offer people a chance to freely express their feelings, acknowledge different challenges or concerns, think of ways those could be made better, and imagine a brighter future as a result. Everyone's perspective adds richness to the bigger picture. As a diverse society, in order to work together constructively we need avenues for mutual sharing.
Research shows intentional use of creative ritual builds self-esteem, resiliency, connection and well-being. Working together as a group toward a common goal combines all these while creating a sense of moving forward. Just like people, there are different needs for every mural project. Every project starts with a consultation meeting wherein the artist and client can work together to establish a mutual goal and vision for the project. Tia can help clarify so each client understand the steps along the way.
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| Sherman Park Rising, 4715 W. Center Street, Milwaukee, WI |
HEALING EMOTIONAL STRESS FROM TRAUMA THROUGH ART
Tia Richardson uses her background using art as a way to relieve emotional stress from trauma to draw inspiration from in her designs. Her experience includes certification in trauma-informed arts-facilitation from First Aid Arts, Emotional Processing Technique I and II from Life Visions Healing Center, and working with groups over the years that do different forms of healing - restorative justice, social somatics, Worldwork, Deep Democracy, Process Oriented Psychology, and Playback Theatre. In 2017 she partnered with the City of Milwaukee and Safe and Sound, Inc to create a large-scale public mural with a community that had experienced tragedy and unrest the year prior.
Tia Richardson uses her background using art as a way to relieve emotional stress from trauma to draw inspiration from in her designs. Her experience includes certification in trauma-informed arts-facilitation from First Aid Arts, Emotional Processing Technique I and II from Life Visions Healing Center, and working with groups over the years that do different forms of healing - restorative justice, social somatics, Worldwork, Deep Democracy, Process Oriented Psychology, and Playback Theatre. In 2017 she partnered with the City of Milwaukee and Safe and Sound, Inc to create a large-scale public mural with a community that had experienced tragedy and unrest the year prior.
In an essay Tia wrote about that project called 'Together We Rise: Painting the Community Mural Sherman Park Rising", residents who were a part of it share feedback such as how good it felt to be a positive part of something bigger than oneself; and art can be therapeutic without necessarily being art therapy. The essay was published in 'The Milwaukee Anthology' (Rustbelt Publishing). More than 150 people participated in designing and painting this mural. It became a short documentary (24min) you can watch here: "Sherman Park Rising"
BUILDING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Cosmic Butterfly Design's clients have included public and private schools, community-based non-profits, social service agencies, after-school programs, neighborhood organizations, business improvement districts, the City of Milwaukee and grassroots collectives. Themes have included coming together as a community, cultural appreciation, education, healthy self-esteem, anti-bullying, civil rights, hopes and dreams, community empowerment, drug and alcohol abuse prevention, and many others.
The images in the art remind us of our divine nature, the life within all forms, and educates us on our relationship to ourselves, each other, the Earth, and the Divine.
The images in the art remind us of our divine nature, the life within all forms, and educates us on our relationship to ourselves, each other, the Earth, and the Divine.
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WHAT IS COMMUNITY ART?
Broadly speaking, Community Arts is a cultural and creative movement and an area of professional practice that gained momentum in the U.S. in the 1960's. Historically it can combine creative expressions, involve any form of art, and usually includes participation and collaboration with a group.
Broadly speaking, Community Arts is a cultural and creative movement and an area of professional practice that gained momentum in the U.S. in the 1960's. Historically it can combine creative expressions, involve any form of art, and usually includes participation and collaboration with a group.
Cosmic Butterfly Design values having a supportive and open-minded attitude towards its clients. As an entrepreneur and businesswoman, Tia has experimented with what works and what doesn't over the years and has developed her own unique method based on what feels right for her. Take a journey and discover what feels right for you through her videos and film.
Every human mind is creative by nature. Sharing this experience together restores a sense of respect and belonging that we all have a need for.
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Instagram: @cosmicbutterflydesign
Instagram: @cosmicbutterflydesign