You Want It How Big?
Pictured mural by Tia Richardson
The exhibit can be viewed online (below) or in-person:
Saturday afternoons, 12 – 5 PM — paced, small groups, no appointment necessary
OR make an appointment for Mon – Fri at info@jazzgallerycenterforarts.org
Please, review our COVID Policy before visiting, precautions in effect for all visitors.
EXHIBITION — APRIL 2ND, 2022 – MAY 7TH, 2021
YOU WANT IT HOW BIG?
Mural Artists Share Their Plans
In recent years, Milwaukee has seen a Renaissance in public mural art. The new diversity of locations and approaches has transformed parts of the city into art destinations.
This exhibition features diverse planning materials not often seen outside the artist’s studio or a client’s office as well as images of the finished work. It will give audiences a rare glimpse into the creative processes of these talented artists and the planning that goes into the murals that grace our city.
Artists include Brad Bernard, Nova Czarnecki, Emma Daisy Gertel, Fred Kaems, John Kowalczyk and Tia Richardson.
Brad Bernard
BRAD BERNARD – Sisterhood of Wisdom Mural – 12 ft. x 32 ft.
3020 W Vilet St, Milwaukee, WI
This mural concept, ‘Sisters of Wisdom’, created by muralist Brad Anthony Bernard depicts likenesses of dedicated founders and board members Dawn Gozet, Helen Boyd, Ruby Jackson, and executive director Josephine Hill.
These women have devoted themselves to the success and longevity of the center. Imagery also depicts performing KoThi dancers and drummers, with West African Ghanaian Andinkra symbols representing the principles of Kwanzaa and the annual celebration held at there.
The mural concept depicted above is a ‘digital schematic’ of that is currently installed and displayed on the east facing wall of the buliding. Bernard and student interns of the MIAD along with community artists and residents. Funding for this mural was provided by the department of Housing and Urban Development as part of the ‘Choice Neighborhood Initiative’ in partnership with the Near Westside Partners.
BRAD BERNARD – Founds of Friendship Mural
3824 W Vilet St, Milwaukee, WI
This mural concept schematic is a collaoration between artists Brad Anthony Bernard and Ruthie Joy. Images depicted are likenesses of Nengmay S. Vang, Wacha K Lo, and Gee S. Vang, the founders of the Hmong Friendship Association founded in 1983. Bernard and Joy were assisted by MIAD student interns, community artists and residents.
Funding was provided by a grant received from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation in partnership with the Near Westside Partners.
BRAD BERNARD – Sounds of Today/Voices of Tomorrow Mural – 12 ft. x 20 ft.
2616 W State St, Milwaukee, WI
This mural concept ‘Sounds of Today/Voices of Tomorrow’ created by Bernard depicts vibrant images of youth inspired culture, representing the musical hopes and aspirations of the future. Funding for this project was sponsored by the New State, C’arvd n Stone, Historic Concordia
Neighborhood Inc., and the Milwaukee Arts Board.
Nova Czarnecki
NOVA CZARNECKI – Harbor District Project
I submitted a proposal to the Harbor District’s call for a mural on the railroad bridge on east Greenfield Avenue that leads to the Milwaukee River. The intention was to make the area more inviting to pedestrians since the wall was dreary and crumbling. This mural had more specific requirements. It was essential to use wildlife that was native to the Milwaukee River. My original design had a figure swimming among the native fish but was asked to change it as they did not want to encourage swimming in the river. I also was asked to change the font I originally chose along with an excerpt from a poem about the river, to the existing font of the Harbor District and eliminate the poem. I included the girl (out of the water) in the final design because I felt it symbolized the hope of future generations and the importance of restoring and preserving the river and wildlife from the degradation of industrial intrusion.
NOVA CZARNECKI – Witness to the Wild
The Kinnickinnic Avenue BID, the non-profit organization tasked with supporting business and development along Kinnickinnic Avenue, along with Wallpapered City, launched Street Canvas — a mural project featuring five local muralists to paint murals on five separate buildings along Kinnickinnic Ave. The final roster of artists for the Bay View Street Canvas project included Jenny Anderson (Shape Up Shop), Nova Czarnecki (Sprocket Cafe), Rozalia Hernandez-Singh (Egg and Flour), Jenny Jo Kristan (Cafe Lulu) and Dena Nord (Mr. P’s Tires). We were given total artistic freedom and one month to complete them. I chose to repaint a recent painting of my daughter with the intention of changing the emotional impact from loss and pain to healing and hope.
Emma Daisy Gertel
Emma Daisy Gertel (b. 1985) is a Korean born—Milwaukee based visual and public artist known for creating playful works using vibrant color to depict plants and girls. She draws on her education in fashion design, community arts, and cultural development. For over a decade Daisy served as an arts facilitator, creative director and co-executive director of youth arts nonprofit, Express Yourself Milwaukee. Much of her current work explores the spaces in between, a reflection on acceptance, belonging and identity as a Korean adoptee. Daisy maintains a studio practice in Walkers Point at Var Studios and exhibits regularly. Her murals can be found across the country in tourist destinations, schools, businesses and private residences. She aims to create works both public and private that inspire possibility, celebrate life, encourage human connection and spread joy.
"My personal efforts in public art have been about crea5ng and sharing work that is true to myself, but appeals to a wide audience culturally, thema5cally and aesthe5cally. I’m all about spreading joy in the world, so that is generally my underlying approach and guiding vision. I think that’s a good place to start in bridging the gaps that divide us as humans, allowing us to find our commonali5es among differences."
- Emma Daisy Gertel
EMMA DAISY GERTEL - Tulsa Boxyard - Instacart 2020 - 10’x 40’
502 E 3rd Street, Tulsa, OK
This mural celebrates the rich abundance of arts and culture that Tulsa has to offer as part of a 4 city (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Tulsa) campaign with Muros for Instacart to announce their partnership with Walmart. From performing arts and Art Deco architecture to incredible public spaces, there are hidden gems galore. This piece embodies the spirit and vibrancy of Tulsa through its bright colors and dynamic figures. The rainbow stream flowing from the watering can represents Instacart’s contribution to that sense of community, abundance and joy. This piece is an example of a street art within a branded campaign in which the artist was entrusted to use their own design sensibilities with few guidelines.
EMMA DAISY GERTEL – Westown in Bloom 2019 - 50’x 80’
622 W Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI
Commissioned by MKE Downtown, BID #21, this project was the first mural collaboration between the Business Improvement District and a private property. Located at 7th & Wisconsin Avenue on the side of Dunkin’ Donuts, Westown In Bloom stands 50’ tall and 80’ wide to signify and give credence to the life we wish to see blossom there. Deemed the “gateway mural,” the work is meant to welcome visitors from the west who are entering Milwaukee’s downtown area, inspire hope, uplift and encourage change in our behaviors to one another and cultivate our strengths as a community. Like a real community garden, it stands to represents the hard work, dedication, growth and abundance we put into our city and serves as a reminder that we must tend to and care for it. The project took 3.5 weeks to complete, 50 scuff pads,100 wiping cloths and about 300 cans of spray paint.
EMMA DAISY GERTEL - Bayshore Art Project
Over 20 unique works of art created by 12 local artists, the Bayshore Art Project commissioned by the property developers to create an experience of shopping, dining and entertainment infused with art. Emma Daisy Gertel curated the entirety of the art project alongside Merrick Porchéddu of Artist Uprising, the managing organization. The team’s goal was to make the property feel more like an outdoor gallery featuring local artists: illustrators, fine artists, designers, sculptors, street artists and more. Daisy wanted the project to capture the spirit of Milwaukee's vibrant creative community—to feel both global and local, but to reflect Milwaukee's distinctive, disparate voices, and stand on its own merits as a fully realized work of art. The project also gave Daisy a chance to work with artists whose work she has long admired. Her intent was to share real and authentic voices and perspectives, employ artists, while beautifying the space.
EMMA DAISY GERTEL and DAVE WATKINS - West Parking Garage 2020 - 18’x 110’
Bayshore Shopping Center, Glendale, WI
Both facades of the Silver Spring parking structure were collaborations with artist Dave Watkins AKA Real Abstract. Dave Watkin’s is known for his abstract style that creates movement and energy through the use of gestural marks, lines and bold color fields. The West structure is covered with a bright colorful design of flora to enliven the space with beauty and growth that is representative of both Bayshore’s rich and vibrant history as well as it’s bright future. Facing the west, the work includes morning glory, phlox, swamp rose and wild peony flowers to represent harmony and prosperity, nestled against a peachy orange field of color —a reflection of the setting sun and a subtle nod to the past.
EMMA DAISY GERTEL – Silver Spring & Port Washington 2021 - 45’x 60’
Bayshore Shopping Center, Glendale, WI
At the intersection of Port Washington & Silverspring stands one of the most visible corners of the property from the outside—this mural serves to welcome visitors to Bayshore. The design references leaves and plant life bouncing around with excitement contained within the wall. The imagery is stylized into colorful shapes, creating a patterned design that hints at more art inside the property.
EMMA DAISY GERTEL - Fridays Are For Fun 2021 - 26’x 18’
Bayshore Rotunda, Glendale WI
This piece was created inside the Bayshore rotunda to flirt, entice and draw you in from afar—to remind us that play is an important part of life and that we should all take ourselves a little less seriously at times. As you get closer and arrive at the work in full view, you can see and experience all the layers, dimensions and textures from different angles. The bold lines and strong shapes create moments of tension, but feel playful, light and celebratory. It is as if the shapes are so excited they can no longer contain themselves and are physically popping out of the canvas—burring the lines of 2 dimensions and 3, inviting the viewer to step into that world. Originally painted on a small scale, the design was about color, mark making, gestural brush-strokes and spontaneity. On a large scale, Fridays are for Fun, is meant to contrast the stark white space of the atrium with a rhythmic arrangement of vibrant colors to reflect a range of human emotions and ultimately excite the viewer with a sense of wonder—what else is possible?
Fred Kaems
FRED KAEMS - Heights Dream Library 2019
Westside, Milwaukee WI
This was a fun project that changed course a couple of times due to Covid. I was initially approached about doing a potential literacy based mural in 2019, I really liked the idea and said I would love to participate. The wall is a few blocks from where I live with my family which made it more exciting.
I love it when a mural uses the specific shape or elements of a wall and incorporates it into the composition. When I looked at this wall I knew I had to use the windows and roofline as a piece of the design, and account for the tree in front of it. I started with a drawing of the building based on a photo I took, and then broke the wall into “shelves.” I did a quick sketch over that filling in the space with books and a few objects, and sent the concept sketch off. We got the green light that a grant was approved and I started to refine the drawing, adding in color, and filling in shapes. We also started to plan some community events to gather titles for the book, painting, and work on fundraising to cover the remainder of the cost. Then in March of 2020 Covid showed up. Everything halted, we didn't know what was going to happen with the project.
We ultimately gathered titles from neighbors online and had to cancel the public events. We moved forward that summer. I had the general layout and the color scheme planned out, but there were a lot of decision s that I made as I went, adding in details and then finally the titles. I ended up meeting a lot of neighbors who came by. Even if things were socially distanced while chatting with them I saw a lot of positivity in a time that was pretty bleak. I will always have fond memories of this project. It is also the most colorful project I have made.
FRED KAEMS - Welcome to the Neighborhood
North 35th Street, Merrill Park, Milwaukee WI
I ride my bike through the Near West Side often so when I was asked if I was interested in participating in a proposed mural project I was naturally excited. I thought about a number of different concepts for the project while we waited for the funding to finalize. After I was given my potential canvas I started to apply some of those concepts to the shape of the building. Due to the location at the mouth of Merrill Park, we decided to go with the theme of the gateway to the neighborhood. I really wanted to connect that so I based the houses on actual homes in Merrill Park. As the painting started to come together more and more people would wave as they went by, or stop, especially if I was down on the ground. It is really nice to see the work you are doing positively affect people.
FRED KAEMS – Currents
Kelmann Restoration, Wauwatosa WI, overlooking Hank Aaron State Trail at the 121st street crossing
It is the third wall that I painted for them. I was given a lot of freedom to create something fun. We had used nature based imagery in the other work for them so we kept that theme going. I had made a couple small sea turtle stencils in the past, and included one in a drawing for a wall that never happened so I had been wanting to paint one at a large scale for a while. When I paint animals I like to take them out of their environment, and I like to play with space. Since I had been playing with some of these ideas already, the concept and drawing came together pretty quickly.
John Kowlczyk
JOHN KOWLCZYK – Projects Not Completed
Swing Park, Eastside Milwaukee
South Side Community Health, Milwaukee
These are two proposals that were never commissioned or completed.
JOHN KOWLCZYK – Native Wisconsin Plant Puns – 50 ft. x 29 ft.
1008 Main St, Stevens Point, WI 54481
This mural was created for the organization Create Poco in Stevens Point Wisconsin as part of their Paint the County project. They currently have 12 murals in Portage County and will be adding 10 more this year. The animal and plant combinations in the mural represent the Native Wisconsin's Plant Name. You can find Dandelions, FoxGlove, Bee's Balm, Goats Beard, Hen of the Woods, and a Cardinal Flower. I think it is a fun opportunity for viewers to guess the flowers and figure out the puns themselves. Stevens Point prides itself on the beautiful green spaces that surround them and I wanted to highlight the beautiful nature found there.
JOHN KOWLCZYK – Flight of Beauty and Unity – 190 ft. x 15 ft.
6430 W Becher St. West Allis
This mural depicts diverse species of moths from all over the world in flight together. It highlights the beautiful colors and patterns found in nature against a bold and vibrant abstract landscape background with colors inspired by West Allis' branding and website. The flurry of wings create a calm sense of motion and weightlessness that dance across the wall. Moths are symbols of transformation, inner wisdom, and generosity among other things and these gentle creatures remind us to spread our wings and share our beauty.
Tia Richardson
TIA RICHARDSON – The Restoration of Compassionate Law
TIA RICHARDSON – Courthouse
TIA RICHARDSON – The Wonder of Life
TIA RICHARDSON – Sherman Park Rising
4715 W. Center St, Milwaukee, WI
This mural was created in 2017 with participation from more than 150 community members of all walks of life in the Sherman Park neighborhood. It includes narratives and images people sketched in design workshops that offered them the chance to acknowledge different challenges in their community, ways to make them better and a brighter future. A short documentary about this project can be watched at www.cosmic-butterfly.com. This project was commissioned by the City of Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services in partnership with Safe and Sound, Inc, as part of a beautification and community-engagement effort.
Photo credit Troy Freund
TIA RICHARDSON – Rockford Taking Flight
RELATED EVENTS
You Want it How Big? Gallery Exhibit
April 2nd, 2022 – May 7th, 2022
"Rockford Taking Flight” - Documentary Showing from Tia Richardson
Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 7:00 pm
Thursday, April 28th, 2022 at 1:00 pm