New mural installation at MPL Mitchell Street Branch kicks off “Our Town” artist residency | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Artists Working in Education
July 11, 2018
(Image courtesy of Artists Working in Education)
Envisioning a unique hub for creative expression and storytelling, Artists Working in Education, Inc. (AWE) in partnership with Milwaukee Public Library announced today a new mural installation in the lower level of the Mitchell Street Branch library.
The mural was designed by the library teen interns with support from the artist-in-residence on the project, Erick Ledesma. The mural project is a digitally designed collaboration to celebrate and honors many of the teen’s identities and life stories. This is the first project of the “Our Town” grant from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) which funds Gathering Art, Stories and Place, a project housed at the Milwaukee Public Library Mitchell Street Branch.
Ledesma said, “This mural touches on the ideas of personal home, culture and history. The interns were provided prompts that guided and influenced their visual creations. They collectively worked on a composition that best represented how their different stories co-exist.”
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On Friday, July 13, 2018, join Milwaukee Public Library, Artists Working in Education and Ex Fabula for a family-friendly event from 3:00 to 5:00pm for the public mural unveiling, and interactive activities like food sampling, art-making led by AWE’s Truck Studio program, a photo booth and UltraShort booth by Ex Fabula. The Ex Fabula UltraShort booth will be a way to inspire and encourage visitors to share stories about connection; stories can be shared in English or Spanish.
“Milwaukee Public Library is proud to be a partner in this project, which brings an additional level of creativity to one of the most dynamic blocks in our city,” said Milwaukee Public Library Director Paula Kiely. Our Mitchell Street Branch is the perfect site to bring together so many artists and residents to celebrate the energy and diversity of Historic Mitchell Street. We are so excited to showcase and celebrate the richness of our talent right here at home.”
Stay up-to-date on what’s happening with the Gathering Art, Stories and Place project on the Milwaukee Public Library website at www.mpl.org
About Gathering Art, Stories and Place
About Milwaukee Public Library
Milwaukee Public Library is an anchor institution that helps build healthy families and vibrant neighborhoods – the foundation of a strong Milwaukee. Since 1878, Milwaukee Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for residents of Milwaukee and beyond. With 14 locations, and more than three million items in circulation, MPL offers free access to a rich collection of materials both physical and digital, access to technology, classes, exhibitions, programming and more. From toddlers to scholars, MPL serves more than one million patrons who come through its doors annually and many more around the globe who use its resources at www.mpl.org.To offer this wide array of free programming, MPL relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support Milwaukee Public Library at mpl.org/support.