Voting is Power Street Mural, Milwaukee, WI

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Creator

Voces de los Artistas and Nicolas Lampert

Title

Voting is Power Street Mural, Milwaukee, WI

Coverage

43.012296, -87.920655

Description

Voces de los Artistas (the art affinity group with Voces de la Frontera) painted on October 10, 2020, a 275′ x 26′ street mural with text that reads "VOTING IS POWER: BLACK AND BROWN LIVES MATTER." It is painted in bright yellow on Historic Mitchell Street in the heart of the Latino community in Milwaukee. VDLA also painted ten GOTV banners and screen-printed t-shirts and prints that were given away throughout the day.

The event was permitted by the city. The city gave Voces de la Frontera a permit to host a block party from 8 am-5 pm, and to paint the mural with tempera paint. Voces de los Artistas (and the Art Build Workers) took a key role in organizing the street painting action, the banner painting stations, and the screen printing. It was artists working directly in a movement. It was the power of an art affinity group (Voces de los Artistas) in a movement (Voces de la Frontera.) It was the power of youth organizing – YES! (Youth Empowered in the Struggle) with Voces. It was the power of allies in the community volunteering their time and energy. And it was the power of the community to imagine and to fight for a better world.

Source

The Black and Brown Lives Matter street mural in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was created by a group called “Voces de los Artistas” after the phrase “Black Lives Matter” was painted on the street of Washington D.C. on the way to the White House. “Voces de la Artistas” is an art affinity group led by low-wage workers, immigrants and youth working to expand and protect civil rights and workers’ rights through leadership development, community organizing and empowerment.  

This protest movement started after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. As a neighboring state, Wisconsin has also experienced systemic racism including police brutality. After Jacob Blake was shot and two anti-racist protestors — Anthony Hubber and Joseph Rosenbaum — were murdered, VDLA was motivated to promote the strength of unity and the importance of giving immigrant youth the right to vote, and to end White Supremacy in leadership roles.  

This street art also includes a message saying, “Voting is Power.” 

 This piece of art took nine hours to complete and is 275 feet long by 50 feet tall. It is located in Milwaukee’s South Side, a historic site for the Latinx community. It is located on the 700 block of Historic Mitchell Street, outside of a neighborhood that is heavily populated with white people. The creation of this art was sanctioned. The group was given permission by the city to host an event where artists from Voces de los Artistas would come and paint the mural. During this event, VDLA also hosted an event where children could come in and participate in painting on a sidewalk, banner, and screen printing on t-shirts and posters. The Voting is Power: Black and Brown Lives Matter slogan is still present on the street of Milwaukee’s South Side.  

https://georgefloydstreetart.omeka.net/items/show/3513 

https://www.courant.com/2020/11/13/street-mural-in-windsor-aims-to-unify-community-in-fight-against-racism/ 

Researched by the Urban Art Mapping Team

Image URL

News Coverage by Milwaukee Independent

Rights

Artists: Voces de los Artistas and Nicolas Lampert

Photographer: Raymond Moore Jr.

Publisher

Urban Art Mapping Research Project

Date

Contributor

LA

Spatial Coverage

Located on West Mitchell St. between 8th and 7th

Is Referenced By

Geolocation

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