SHARP Literacy, in collaboration with the United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee, recently unveiled a 100-foot mural at Milwaukee’s Intermodal Station, 433 West Saint Paul Ave. The mural was created by artist, Sally Duback, and more than 400 students at area neighborhood centers.
According to Duback, the students, ranging between third and sixth grade, completed research and writing assignments about transportation needs in the Milwaukee community. Each organization was assigned different transportation methods to research and were supposed to create illustrations based on that research. The illustrations became the basis for the mural, Duback said.
“We assigned each organization a different transportation mode,” Duback said. “Some were assigned to research buses and taxis, others pedestrians and bicycles.”
Other areas of focus included Amtrak trains, freight trains, and cars.
Duback helped the students transfer their drawings onto large sheets which were then covered in glue, beads, glitter and other art material.
Students and staff who participated in the SHARP Literacy project included: COA Youth & Family Center Riverwest, Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, Next Door Foundation and Silver Spring Neighborhood Center.
“At first we thought the project might be a little too advanced for the young children at our center,” said Debi Schwid, books for kids manager at the Next Door Foundation, which services children ages five to 12-years-old. “But our kids ended up really learning a lot and the program coordinators presented the information in a way that they understood the content. It turned out to be a great way for our kids to leave a legacy in Milwaukee.”
Each center worked on specific panels of the mural from start to finish, Dupack said. So they will be able to see the finished project and revisit well into their future, she said. Dupack has worked with SHARP Literacy to produce similar art projects at the Milwaukee Art Museum, General Mitchell International Airport, Discovery World and other Milwaukee-area schools and institutions, she said.
To watch a video of the unveiling, or for more interviews about the project, click on the video below.
