State Street Mural Project
The Downtown Street Art and Mural Project formed on May 31, 2020 in Madison, Wisconsin following local peaceful protests against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Civil demonstration in Madison — part of a global cascade of public protest in support of Black Lives — was followed by social unrest resulting in property damage to State Street businesses.
Cities across the nation sustained similar acts of vandalism in May and June, the motivations for which are interpreted variously as inexorable acts of impassioned disobedience over racialized economic oppression, a sign of lawlessness attendant to popular uprising, and anticapitalist dissent.
As owners shuttered their damaged storefronts with plywood on Madison’s signature pedestrian thoroughfare — Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, along with the president of the Madison Common Council, authorized Madison Arts Program Administrator, Karin Wolf, to develop a response.
Funded by Arts in Public Places Looking Forward, the Downtown Street Art and Mural Project is part of an Artist Relief initiative that was established to support artists who have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and prioritizes artists of color affected by racial violence and injustice. Artists created 70 commissioned murals conveying urgent demands for change and inspiring community dialogue.
Explore the State Street Mural Project in 360°
PBS Wisconsin documented the murals and street art along the 100 to 400 blocks of State Street — and the cross streets of Fairchild and Henry Streets — using a 360° camera. These come together in a virtual gallery to showcase the extraordinary talents of the artists and share their stirring, evocative calls for justice with a wide audience.
We hope digital preservation of this important piece of Wisconsin’s protest history (and present) calls attention to local BIPOC visual voices. We further hope it engages viewers in thoughtful discussion about the role of public art as a form of resistance, as well as in nuanced debate over how a society should situate the value of human dignity relative to the value of property.
To explore the virtual gallery, click the window above and use the click-and-drag feature of your mouse or trackpad to move around the 360° environment. Clicking on the color-coded circles defined by the legend allows the user to view the artwork on either side of the block, navigate to a new block, and learn more about the artists.
Please return to this page soon for individual artist statements and a new virtual gallery featuring the murals and street art erected on the 500 and 600 blocks of State Street.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Mural in header photo by artists Amira Caire (@amiradescent) and Danielle Mielke (@dmielkz)
Photos / Hedi LaMarr Photography and PBS Wisconsin
The State Street Mural Project and other PBS Wisconsin augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) work are supported by a gift from Steven Vedro and Beverly Gordon.
Artist Name | Website | Mural Description | State Street Block # | Link to 360° Experience | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Audifax | @audifaxart | Audifax | Colorful Portait of Strong Lady (on SEE storefront) | 400 | View Now |
J. Michael | @jjaysgallery | — | Bob Marley | 400 | View Now |
Full Human Spectrum | @fullhumanspectrum | — | Bob Marley | 400 | View Now |
J. Michael | @jjaysgallery | — | Lady Justice | 400 | View Now |
J. Michael | @jjaysgallery | — | “the whole world is watching” big, yellow. | 400 | View Now |
Dane Arts Mural Arts | @daneartsmuralarts | Link | the Obamas | 400 | View Now |
Anwar Floyd-Pruitt | @anwarfp | Link | BLM Crime scene tape | 400 | View Now |
Liubov Szwako | @triangulador | Link | “Love” | 400 | View Now |
Liubov Szwako | @triangulador | Link | “Understanding” | 400 | View Now |
Liubov Szwako | @triangulador | Link | “Unity” | 400 | View Now |
Ellie Caplan | @createdbycaplan | — | Peace and love lady with glasses | 400 | View Now |
FORNOW | @fornowgonforever | — | Large Tag on corner Liquor store | 400 | View Now |
Liubov Szwako | @triangulador | Link | GROW Mural on Tutto Pasta | 300 | View Now |
Mike Lory | @mike_lroy | Link | GROW Mural on Tutto Pasta | 300 | View Now |
Terrence Adeyanju | @iampeeld | Link | Infinite Poster | 300 | View Now |
Stefan | @stefanmatioc | Link | Ru Yi hand pulled noodles, abrstract coninuous line work | 300 | View Now |
Sweet Sorrel | @ohsweetsorrel | Link | “protect black women” mural | 300 | View Now |
Ellie Caplan | @createdbycaplan | — | power nine games mural | 300 | View Now |
Akash | @iridhan_skky | — | power nine games mural | 300 | View Now |
Sapphina and Zaria | — | — | power lady | 300 | View Now |
Sapphina and Zaria | — | — | “Stand for change” | 300 | View Now |
Sapphina and Zaria | — | — | on the soap opera store | 300 | View Now |
Jan Lin | @janlin_art | — | hot air ballons | Henry St. | View Now |
Sweet Sorrel | @ohsweetsorrel | Link | “we know what’s best for us” | Henry St. | View Now |
Jerry Jordan | @purplehood2 | Link | “pressure” | Henry St. | View Now |
Sharon L. Bjyrd | @bohemianblackart | Link | “power” | Henry St. | View Now |
Sharon L. Bjyrd | @bohemianblackart | Link | “power” | Henry St. | View Now |
La Follette High School and Friends | — | — | — | Henry St. | View Now |
IATSE Local 251 | — | Link | “Rise Up!” | Henry St. | View Now |
Bree_o_o | @bree_o_o | — | — | Henry St. | View Now |
8:46 | — | — | “526 Missed Oppertunities” | Henry St. | View Now |
Philip Salamone | @philipsalamone | Link | Jesus mural | 200/Henry St. | View Now |
Jan Lin | @janlin_art | — | Buddah Mural | 200 | View Now |
Richie Morales | @richiemoguez | — | “United Hearts of America” | 200 | View Now |
Salt Rock Tattoo | @saltrockart | — | “stop the silence, stop the violence” | 200 | View Now |
Odalo Wasikhogo | — | Link | Isamuel17 | 200 | View Now |
Comfort Wasikhongo | — | Link | GF portrait “BLM” | 200 | View Now |
Terrence Adeyanju | @iampeeld | Link | many heads | 200 | View Now |
Lilada Gee | @liladasart | Link | defend black girls | 200 | View Now |
Daniella Echeverria | @daniella_inthegarden | Link | silence is violence | 200 | View Now |
americantrashcorp | @americantrashcorp | Link | dripping lyrics | 200 | View Now |
Anwar Floyd- Pruitt | @anwarfp | Link | Fedrick Douglass quote | 200 | View Now |
Lilada Gee | @liladasart | Link | Black Girl Magic | 200 | View Now |
Kenechi Unachukwu | @kenechi.una | Link | Photos of May 30th | Fairchild st. | View Now |
Kiyem Obuseh | @kiyem_k.o | — | BLM | Fairchild st. | View Now |
Shiloah Symone | @blckslimshady | — | portrait | Fairchild st. | View Now |
DrumPower | — | Link | Black Power with DrumPower logo | Fairchild st. | View Now |
Amira Caire | @amiradescent | — | 3 women portrait | Fairchild st. | View Now |
Danielle Mielke | @dmielkz | — | 3 women portrait | Fairchild st. | View Now |
nixart____ | @nixart | — | “Trans Lives are Black Lives Too” | Fairchild st. | View Now |
Taj Matumbi | @matumbi_studio | — | “BoxCar Bust” | Fairchild st. | View Now |
N/A | — | — | “All we want is Justice and Peace…” | Fairchild st. | View Now |
N/A | — | — | “All we want is Justice and Peace…” | Fairchild st. | View Now |
Anthony Catteruccia | @_kidtonytattoos | — | “black is beautiful” | Fairchild st. | View Now |
Keysha Monique Mabra | @luego_dreamer | — | massive collauge | Fairchild st. | View Now |
Sirena Flores | @sirenatheflower | — | Tony Robinson | 100 | View Now |
Lilada Gee | @liladasart | Link | defending Black girlhood | 100 | View Now |
valendiceee | @valendiceee | — | Black girl changing appearance | 100 | View Now |
Charlotte Bizone | — | — | clasped hands and heart | 100 | View Now |
Poisoned Huny | @poisoned.huny | — | fist with roses | 100 | View Now |
Ssince93bk | @poisoned.huny | — | abstract brown and yellow art | 100 | View Now |
Rodney Lambright II | — | Link | “the importance of Black lives isn’t a debate” | 100 | View Now |
Megan Smith | @megsmithworks | Link | untitled | 100 | View Now |
Rob Dz | @robdzatu | — | “we’re open” | 100 | View Now |
T.L. Luke | @tl.luke | Link | “we’re open” | 100 | View Now |
Anthony Catteruccia | @_kidtonytattoos | — | Massive mural | Top of 100 block | View Now |
Lincoln Rust | @lincolnrusttattoos | — | Massive mural | Top of 100 block | View Now |
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