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, fl...

PBS series 'Wisconsin Life'  segment (nominated for a Midwest Emmy!) WE ARE MANY AND WE ARE ONE Milwaukee is my hometown; Gaia is a Greek word for 'Earth', and Buddha in this example means better understanding. Milwaukee Gaia Buddha is a symbol of the collective living spirit of our city, inclusive of all. She is born from the seed planted that inspires all of our hearts to work cooperatively for the common good. 'In La'kech' is a Mayan greeting meaning 'You are my other me, I am your other you' written on her leg in English, Spanish and Arabic. A little boy holds the Milwaukee Art Museum in his lap painting his vision in sweeping rivers of blues and purples across city sidewalks. The action of the brush links us to the stars, to each other, to our collective destiny on this planet. Of course, he isn't alone - all the other children of the city join him in his desire for the chance to express their raw potential as human bein...

GRAND OPENING SUNDAY September 18th 2pm Alley behind Oriental Theatre, between N. Prospect and N. Farwell Avenues 'Meet the Artists' Friday September 16th, 8pm Colectivo Coffee 2211 N Prospect Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202 This week I've been hard at work on 'Milwaukee Gaia Buddha', an 8'x24' mural painted on brick in an alley on Milwaukee's east side. The Black Cat Alley project is an Arts Board-sponsored event hosted by the East Side Business Improvement District. The festival is already recieving media coverage on television, print and online: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel WUWM Lake effect I am loving the rare opportunity to work alongside the other artists. It's been a wonderful opportunity to share my voice. MILWAUKEE GAIA BUDDHA She is the Many and the One. We are Many and We Are One. The path represents the inner journey each of us are on, and that moves us collectively towards her. She is the blossom of the seed within ...

by Tia Richardson This article is adapted from my talk for the Tedx UW-Milwaukee Salon 'Our City Our Canvas' December 2, 2015. It shares my process of how I came to discover community art as a sense of purpose in my life. I wasn't always a community artist. It wasn't always easy for me to be outgoing with people. I was, however, always an artist in the traditional sense. I grew up drawing and painting, supported and encouraged by my parents at an early age. Being good at drawing gave me a sense of feeling valued by others, when they appreciated my work, but it only went so far. Like most people I experienced life pains of growing up. For one thing, I was very introverted and insecure. I spent three of the most creative parts of my childhood growing up in rural Janesville, WI, a predominantly white town where my dad worked as an engineer and my mom attended nursing school. Growing up as the only black girl in most of my classes didn't help my feelings of i...

On December 2nd, 2015 I gave a TEDx talk for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee about why community art has become such a passion in my life. You can read the description of my speech on the TEDx UW-Milwaukee website and watch the video there and on youtube beginning in April, 2016. What inspired my speech was a long drive from visiting friends in rural Janesville, WI. to my hometown of Milwaukee, WI where I was originally born and have lived my adult life now for over 10 years. 7 of those years I've been practicing as a community artist, with clients ranging from arts and environmentally based non-profits; public schools, social service agencies to churches - all interested in integrating arts into a mainstream environment. On the drive I was struck by the sudden awareness that we are all Family. That we really are family. Not in principle just because its a nice idea, but in actuality. And, that bonds created between us through shared experiences give rise to a hidden...

'The Flower of Life' mural on asphalt at The Spot 4MKE, 5th and Wisconsin Ave On October 29th. 2015 I completed this approx. 5,000 sq ft ground mural in collaboration with Concrete Dreamers at The Spot 4MKE   in downtown Milwaukee, WI on N. 5th St and W. Wisconsin Ave. An article written by the funders of The Spot 4 MKE - Project for Public Places - was published worldwide and highlights the artwork  here .  The project stemmed from a temporary placemaking lease of a parking lot initiated by Creative Alliance Milwaukee (CAM) with the City. *Note: As of April 30th, 2016, the lease will not be renewed to CAM and the parking lot mural and site will be returned to its original condition and city ownership per the lease agreement. 'The Flower of Life' was a collaborative effort between myself and Concrete Dreamers - Mikal Floyd-Pruitt and Fonde Bridges - for The Spot 4 MKE. This short video highlights their vision for engaging the public in this space by creati...

'Sharing our love of community together'; 'Unifying as a community to create a sense of pride in our vibrant lives'; giving, caring, security - these were keynotes picked up on from a community listening session for an art installation completed over the summer with a team of 8 interns. The project was a summer residency with ArtWorks for Milwaukee, Inc., an arts-based organization that hires high school students as interns to learn job readiness skills by working with a lead artist. For this project, youth helped design and paint a mural, boulders for seating, and a story-pole garden with written statements painted by people living in the Burnham Park neighborhood. This park is a popular mixed-use park that attracts family and kids for recreation - mainly soccer and baseball, and is regularly booked for birthday parties, meetings and other gatherings in its recreational building. During the first week of programming I watched as my extremely shy interns came ...

The Forgiveness mural was a unique and beautiful project. It was my first multi-organization collaboration. Pastor Andrew Warner, of Plymouth Church ; Joseph Stanley, counselor for Pathfinders Youth Shelter , and Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum of Shir Hadash jewish congregation are longtime friends. What makes them special is they all share a space at Plymouth Church, a beautiful stone building on Milwaukee's east side just two blocks from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Pathfinders Youth Shelter has several locations each with a special focus. There is the drop-in center; the group home, and the space at Plymouth Church where youth can come use the large gym for recreation and smaller group activities. In April 2015, the three friends decided to do something they wanted to for a long time - hold a series of conversations. The topic they picked was 'Forgiveness'. They each took a turn leading one of three conversations where members from both congregations o...