How do you care about the little things when the big things are so overwhelming? For a few in the Silver City neighborhood of Milwaukee, caring for the little things is where meaning is made.
On a bustling National Avenue lies Shea Garden, a small community park with a pergola, benches and a variety of native flora. It’s easy to overlook, but this garden contains the story of how neighbors, students, and artists transformed a public nuisance into a place of peace – and passed it onto a new generation.
In 2007, neighbors around the intersection of National Avenue and Shea Avenue set to work transforming a vacant lot into a community garden. Neighbors pitched in, donations of hot dogs and mulch came in, and soon the park won an award from the city. The award cited the garden as an example of "what happens when a little love and attention is paid to a neglected plot of land in the urban environment."
In the 18 years since, caretakers of the garden have come and gone. Some of the original founders still keep up with maintenance, now joined by students from nearby Escuela Verde and Newline Cafe. All the while, its remained a communal respite among the everyday cacophony.
Meet the garden's longtime caretakers, artists, and the students and teachers who are taking the garden into the next generation.
