Racial Healing through Community Art by Tia Richardson Adapted from versions first published in Kenosha News and  Visionary Viewpoints One day, I visited the Kenosha Civil War Museum and was struck by the exhibit with the standing bronze sculptures of soldiers representing different wars the U.S. has fought. The lifelike appearances, their interactions and the nature of their interactions ( listening and sharing ). There were groupings from all the wars the U.S. has fought. The tailoring of the uniforms belonging to different branches in the display cases; the food cans, noting every meticulous detail and thought that had to go into planning a war effort. From how soldiers receive their meals and rations, to the type and color of boots they wear (Afghanistan combat boots match the desert sand) – to the cooperation and collaboration it takes to actually do war – with skill. Do I really think anybody wins in war, or any fight or conflict for that matter? The US won wars to gain...

 By Tia Richardson Life is your canvas. What do you want to paint on it? Maybe you already feel it is too late to create what you want. Maybe what is there doesn’t feel like a fit. Or, maybe you feel like you have no choice in what is painted there. What if you COULD start to create something different in your life? Something more – harmonious? Did you ever think you could open up to new possibilities of what your life could be? Let’s imagine you can! After all your life is your canvas, and art can be anything you wish it to be. Let’s take a journey painting a watercolor of harmony. Your paintbrush will be your imagination. Imagine yourself walking down a narrow dirt path through a forest. The earth under your feet feels dry and solid. Next to the path green grass grows all around, wildflowers springing up; native plants growing in groups. Looking up, you see the bright blue sky overhead. As your eyes look up and over to the left you see the bright golden ...

'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, 202 5 If you would like to learn more about the award or see this year's winner, you can visit here. ... 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 D...

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point's Diversity and College Access presents: “Celebration of Cultural Expression: Art, Literature and Music” February 20, 2025 Dreyfus University Laird Center and Lounge 1015 Reserve St., Stevens Point This program featured a student and alumni art showcase, with inspiring work proudly on display in acrylic, textile, murals, and literature. It was a beautiful, inspiring evening of culture, creativity and fun.  Students gave performances, including poetry, song, and there was an energizing DJ to top it off, in between speakers. You can learn more about the featured DJ and event here: UW-Steven's Point to host Black History Month Event ... My keynote presentation included screening the film 'Rockford Taking Flight', showing the impact art can have on a communities; and some of the ups and downs I've experienced personally in my journey as an artist. It began with sharing a story about how, a couple of years ago I visited the Nat...

'The Twinkling of Life' Sound of children laughing Community fishing Soil, moss, microscopic, tardigrades Warmth - sunlight Children in a wooded area, hidden gem Tadpoles, plants What's in the unseen world? Diving into what we can't see Sitting under big willow tree - enveloped feet In water - tadpoles, fish, cattails, bittern Warm, midday full sun End, sunset, four seasons Beauty in all the seasons, all times of day Reds, purples, pinks - sunset  Willow vibes. Sun through willows Twinkling coming through, twinkling on lagoon From insect activity or fish Dragonfly laying eggs on water produces Twinkling Twinkling on snow Sunrise, sparkly movement and life Life no matter the season Kids engulfed by forest Bridges, ephemeral pond bridge Kids cross by being an animal Kids walking on lagoon, sledding Mom and baby deer Wauwatosa (Wauwatessi) Firefly Wawashkeshi - flickering white light Flickering of the tail of the deer 'Wawa' Monarch tagging, blazing star patch Kids...

'Reaching Your Potential' Mural installed at Jimmy Banks Memorial Stadium, 4300 W. Fairmount Ave. Milwaukee, WI When I leave this world, I want to be able to say that I've done something for someone. I think by helping these kids, teaching them good values, not only teaching but motivating — if I can do that, I've done my job .” ~ Jimmy Banks Milwaukee honors soccer legend Jimmy Banks with new mural and stadium dedication    In the summer of 2023 the group Friends of Jimmy Banks Stadium invited me to do a mural that would honor the work of Milwaukee soccer legend and coach Jimmy Banks, for the stadium they had worked to rename in his honor. The location was his high school alma mater, formerly Custer, now Obama School of Career and Technological Education (SCTE). It's been a heartwarming experience, learning about the work he's done with youth in the local community after reaching the world stage and getting to know the people who knew him as friends, family...

 'EMBRACING OUR FUTURES WITH COURAGE' UWM Photo: Elora Hennessey The TRIO Student Support Services program works with often first-generation college students to help them achieve their academic goals and be successful. Getting to know this community, its aspirations and and successes, has been an honor. In 2022, through this collaborative mural process I had the chance to meet and work with students who have been through or are part of this program. During our workshops I heard firsthand from some of them about their journeys, where they've been, what challenges they encounter to get to where they are now, and where they are striving to go. ... Through our process of sharing and listening we made some discoveries, that allowed us to acknowledge and recognize different strengths the community has in order to make their journey. These strengths included a willingness to take new risks, reach out and ask for help, and expose oneself to new things. I was inspired ...

'Leading, Learning, and Loving' University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Medicine Building (study lab) 2015 Linden Dr, Madison, WI 53706 24'x4' Acrylic mural on aluminum panels Check out this article about the project featured on the University of Wisconsin-Madison school of veterinary medicine website: https://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/leading-learning-and-loving/ THE ONE THAT STARTED THEM ALL This project started as an invitation to keynote for the 2022 Iverson Bell Midwest Regional Diversity Summit, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Veterinary College. The summit is   named after the first African American veterinarian to hold the position of Vice President in the American Veterinary Medical Association. The main goal of the summit is to promote diversity and inclusion in veterinary medicine, with special attention to academia. The invite came from Richard Barajas, then Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the V...

Birthing a healing art program for young people Community Art Leaders was born out of a collaboration with Milwaukee Christian Center through their youth development program, Youth Artists United. Their program helps young people develop self-confidence, collaboration and communication skills through working with an artist-in-residence. The year was 2018. This time, rather then focus on studio art, they wanted to offer their target neighborhood, Muskego Way and its community partners a chance to do a community mural. So they reached out to me. The traditional length of their program was 14 weeks, way more time than I was accustomed to on any normal mural project, where residents would participate in a few visioning sessions and community paint days. This provided an opportunity for more to happen with the young people I'd be working with - but the question came up in me as to what I'd be doing with them.  How would I fill the time? I figured, well, they need to learn what we...

 Reflection Today we played a new warm-up game designed for calming and listening. The group sits in a circle. One person sits blind-folded in the middle seated on a chair. A 'treasure' is placed under the chair (can be any item of symbolic value; I used a little box full of agate crystals). On my command - with a silent point - one by one they silently try to steal the treasure. The person in the middle has to try to listen for any sound or movement and catch the person by pointing in their direction. I love this game, and they always have fun.  It went well. The last time we played it, they wanted to make a lot of side noises. This morning I decided to ask the group to play by the rules, to not make side noises. I came up with the idea to say we'd tried it the other way before, reflected on it, so we know how that went. I knew they'd get more out of it in playing the game where everyone has a fair chance. So I proposed everyone take a chance to discover something new ...

 'BONDING THROUGH LIFE' Purdue Charles J. Lynn Hall of Veterinary Medicine ... BEYOND THE DOUBT One day an email landed in my inbox. It was from the Dean of Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine asking if I could do a community mural there about the bond that develops between people and animals. My childhood love of animals flashed images before me, and I felt the familiar warmth of inspiration moving through my body. I imagined walking down the 90ft. hallway seeing large images of beautifully depicted animals and people from different cultures around the world on the wall. I was eager to show the rich cultural fabrics and colorful garments; exotic animals, production and domestic alike. It would be a merging of people and animals in a beautiful tapestry woven with the bond of human-animal caring that transcended cultures. When I first visited the campus in the small town of West Lafayette, Indiana, it struck me as a very rural small town. At least, t...

The Light of Cooperation  Community mural installed at the Lewis Hospital for Companion Animals ... THE JOURNEY We often  move in siloed spaces, and if you're like me, you'll notice this everywhere you go. This fact stands out to  me in spaces where people are intensely focused in a specific area of interest, whether it be their career, research, or specialized tasks that require a lot of focus and concentration. The things that set us apart from each other can make us strong in those areas, but when it comes time for interacting with one another sometimes it makes it difficult. When I was first contacted about this project by the college's Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, what initially sparked my interest was our very first conversation. It struck a chord because there was a genuine desire for an art project that could pull people together, honor the native land of the area, and celebrate the college's strengths and aspirations. Like many institutions, th...