Dance Your Troubles Away

Dance Your Troubles Away, SWIV
Originally uploaded by claredickerson

Another fantastic work by SWIV. It can also be seen on the side of Mother Fool's at the moment.

(It's also another photo by intrepid street art reporter Clare D.)

Another (beautiful) ode to Solve

SOLVE Y❤U, Nice-One
Originally uploaded by claredickerson

This is currently wheat-pasted to the side of Mother Fools on Willy St. - an excellent piece by artist Nice-One. Photo by Clare D. on Flickr.

Seems like some of the best street art in town is SOLVE related.

Johnny 5 x 3

He's alive!

Centro Hispano murals in the news

There's been some great local coverage of the beautiful Centro Hispano murals in recent days. Check out the coverage at 77 Square and the full page spread in Capitol City Hues.

This has all been in conjunction with the official celebration of the completion of the works.

The Williamson Street Art Center, in partnership with the center and the Overture Center for the Performing Arts, celebrated the series of murals created during a two-year artist-in-residency program under the direction of Sharon Kilfoy.

The hands of hundreds of children and adults helped to see the project through to completion; the end result is a lively, vibrant interior of the building at 801 W. Badger Road.

Be sure to check them out for yourself!

(P.S. I realize that these aren't technically "street art" because they're not outside, but heck, I still think it's a cool project)

Spirit of the '70s

I'd been meaning to get out and take photos of the bright new murals that popped up on the corner of Williamson and Few St. just a short while ago, but thankfully muralist and community artist Sharon Kilfoy beat me to it. She was also kind enough to provide information about the work.

This panel includes the Amazement Company playing at the first Willy St Fair, Mona and her Way House Gallery of Light, Dan Yopack, founder of Gallery 853 and the Unicorn Forest and Wildlife Preserve, and the St Vincent de Paul Fashion Show.
The death of DADA / birth of MAMA represented a paradigm shift in consciousness that came to fruition in the 70's. Women, blacks, gays, and other minorities were to be no longer disenfranchised as in the past. Also shown in this panel are theater groups from Broom St Theater and Gallery 853.
This panel pays homage to WORT radio and its early days on Willy St, Nature's Bakery, Peter and Lou Berryman, and Bob Linn, the "Day-Glow Sheriff" who was part of the Natures Bakery collective until he was thrown out for painting their entire parking lot one night after everyone else had gone home.

SOLVE retrospective photo gallery

EHS Retrospective 8
Originally uploaded by qtouch

Click the photo for a gallery of shots from the East High reception and show of Brendon "SOLVE" Scanlon's artwork, courtesy qtouch.

The kids are all right

This mural, on the back wall of O'Keeffe Middle School on Madison's near east side, was originally painted in 1992 and apparently touched up in 2002 by students with the help of art teachers. It's always been a favorite of mine, living in the 'hood as I do. It's just so cheery!

According to photographer >Elab'rãt>'s description, though, "To understand some of the imagery in the mural, it is important to know that in 1832, during the so-called "Blackhawk War," the Native American leader Blackhawk and his people camped in the Madison area and then crossed the Yahara [River] near where the School is located today while they were being pursued by federal troops. That pursuit ended in far western Wisconsin on the Mississippi River south of La Crosse when the troops caught up with Blackhawk and his people and ruthlessly murdered a large number of them, including children."

The mural is, obviously, a depiction of / wish for better times.