Safe Messages from Safe Place Artists
The Crime Strategy Initiative project by youth at ArtWorks for Milwaukee was titled “Safe Messages.” Working with The Art Institute of Wisconsin and under the direction and planning of a Lead Artist, ArtWorks offered a graphic design program to their youth Interns. Youth were to:
- Learn about crime and violence issues that face the 53204 neighborhood (where ArtWorks is physically located) through a series of expert guest speakers, internet research, and personal experience sharing, all organized by the Lead Artist.
- Based on themes of information that the teen Interns identify, they will work as a team to brainstorm ideas to design various powerful anti-gang/ drug/gun images and slogans
- These designs will then be used to create a series of print-ready crime intervention posters at the Art Institute’s design lab during a series of eight Friday night visits. These posters will be printed and distributed to locations throughout the city that serve youth.
Meghan Koven, ArtWorks Executive Director, said that “while adults do a lot of hard work to deter young people from going down the wrong path, we believe messages created by young people/for young people will be more effective in encouraging positive change.”
Have a look at just a few of the incredible posters completed by the eight youth interns at ArtWorks!
