Building better neighborhoods with art

This press release just arrived in my inbox. I'm super stoked to see projects like this taking off in Madison, and especially being utilized by traditionally under-served neighborhoods and communities. Check it, and help out if you can:

Sustain Dane Paints a Sustainable Future with Darbo-Worthington Neighbors

September 9, Madison, WI – Community Paint Days for smART [sustainability + Madison + art] in Darbo-Worthington.

Fall 2014:
Friday September 12th 4-7PM
Friday September 26th 4-7PM 

Weekly paint days on Tuesdays and Thursdays 3-6PM; Starting 9/16
Salvation Army, 3030 Darbo Dr (Meeting at front of Salvation Army or in Annex)

Neighbors of Darbo-Worthington present Sustain Dane’s smART [sustainability + madison + art]: in partnership with the Madison Mural Program. smART is a major community-based art initiative designed to engage Madison neighborhoods in envisioning a sustainable, just, and healthy future for their own communities.

On July 29th, Sustain Dane, along with neighborhood organizations, brought residents of Madison's Darbo-Worthington neighborhood together around a simple question: what does a healthy, happy neighborhood look like?

We couldn't have anticipated the response. Dozens of community members of all ages, ethnicities, genders and socio-economic backgrounds came out to work together to envision a sustainable neighborhood.

Led by lead artist Sharon Kilfoy of the Madison Mural Program, the neighborhood design team has created a visual representation of the neighborhood's ideas from July 29th.

This week - we're starting to paint this design on panels for a larger-than-life mural. Let's paint our vision of a sustainable future. We invite you to join us and grab a paint brush, cover this important event, or call us to learn more.

Contact: Lauren Beriont, Sustain Dane Lauren@sustaindane.org 608.819.0689
Communtiy Liasons for this important project include but are not limited to: The Salvation Army, Mentoring Positives, WOW (Women of Worthington), The Worthington Park Neighborhood Association and Edgewood College Sustainability Leadership Program. Thank you to Dane Arts, The Madison Arts Commission, and the WI Arts Board for supporting this project in 2014.

About Sustain Dane:  Sustain Dane believes that the Greater Madison Region can become national model for sustainability and sustainability innovation. Sustain Dane works towards this vision by fostering and supporting a rich and diverse community of sustainability champions across many sectors of society. To learn more about our current programs and initiatives, please visit www.sustaindane.org. Sustain Dane is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.