You may not recognize Jeremy Novy’s name, but you’ve almost certainly crossed paths with his work. His iconic koi fish have decorated Milwaukee's streets since 2006, and they now swim on three different continents.
“People enjoy finding them in the world as if it's like an Easter egg they're kind of hunting for,” he says.
Novy has a penchant for art that elevates social change, and his latest project continues in that vein.
During a celebration at 5 p.m. on Oct. 6, the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project will unveil Novy-designed rainbow crosswalks at the intersection of 2nd and National in Milwaukee's Walker’s Point neighborhood. The project is in partnership with the History Project, Novy, Crowley Construction and the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works. It's completely privately funded and will be maintained by community donations, as required by the City of Milwaukee Paint the Pavement program.
For Novy, the installation is as personal as it is political.
“Milwaukee was the city that I was able to live as a gay man, that I didn't have to kind of be in the closet and try to conform to how others wanted me to look or appear or speak," he says.
"I moved out of Milwaukee out of fear of being arrested for graffiti because I wanted to pursue street art, so it is quite beautiful for the city to see what I do as art and not see it as graffiti," Novy adds.
The crosswalks highlight Walker's Point's queer history. They honor the late Jim Dorn, founder of Your Place — Milwaukee's first gay bar owned by a gay couple. They're also a response to the removal of rainbow crosswalks outside of Orlando's Pulse nightclub, along with other threats to LGBTQ+ rights and visibility in the U.S. and abroad.
"As it's happening here, I think that we should recognize that it's happening elsewhere," Novy says. "And it's something we need to fight for everywhere.”
The installation will feature rainbow koi fish leading up to the crosswalk, as well the colors of the Progress Pride Flag blurred together in a sort of gradient — underscoring unity amongst diversity.
“[It highlights] that we are all one, we're all part of this LGBTQ+ community, and that we should like kind of stick together rather than like looking at ourselves like separate segments of this community,” Novy explains.
Novy grew up in Reedsburg, Wis. before studying photography at UW-Milwaukee's Peck School of the Arts. Inspired by Banksy, Shepard Fairey and Nicholas Lampert, he developed a fondness for public art — first with urban still life photography, and later with stencil art around town.
“A particular project that I did put stencils of doors and windows on boarded up buildings throughout Milwaukee,” he says.
That eventually garnered attention from the Wisconsin State Journal and the Department of Public Works’ anti-graffiti department. In a comment for the paper, DPW stated its sole wish: that Novy merely find a different canvas for his work.
“[That] sparked this big idea in my head that like I can create art that can cause social change or that can really kind of invoke something more than just being in a gallery or a museum,” says Novy.
Hoping to introduce a bit of Zen into the chaos of urban life, Novy began to stencil his koi fish around town — starting with bus stops along the Oak Leaf Bike Trail. Novy says studying abroad in China inspired him to place nature alongside concrete.
“A big thing in Asian art right now is the juxtaposition of ancient art with contemporary art,” he says. “And so, the combining of these two materials made me think about putting out koi.”
Today, Novy’s beloved koi fish have migrated across oceans, leaving behind their native Midwest. They’re all over social media and have even taken up permanent residence on the bodies of fans. Novy takes that as a sign his message has gotten through.
“I feel like when people are posting these comments and then even going as far as like asking to have a tattoo done of the images is when I really start to know that my art is conveying a message that people are enjoying,” he says.
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