Each year in January, the Milwaukee Art Museum puts on a community project that hopes to inspire members of the community to engage their artistic abilities. This year, The Kohl’s Art Generation Lab is teaming up with Milwaukee’s Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee to work on a mural that showcases inspirational self-portraits of children and community members in Milwaukee.
The mural compliments the art museum's new exhibit “Portrait of Milwaukee” which aims to explore the history of Milwaukee through photography. You can see this exhibit in the Herzfeld Center for Photography and Media Arts until March 1.
"If we're lucky enough, we can keep all of these wonderful young people in the city and help build our future with all of their goals and dreams," says Brett Henzig, Youth and Family Educator at the MAM.
The mural will hang at one of the Boys & Girls Club facilities and stand as a reminder for children to follow their dreams, goals and aspirations.
"It's really fun to think that years from now, these portraits may still be hanging and these children will be able to compare and contrast what they wanted when they were young to were they are now," says Henzig
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee is the largest youth-serving agency in the city and one of the largest Boys & Girls Clubs in the country.
Lake Effects Maggie Holdorf was on-site at the MAM to talk with Brett Henzig, Youth and Family Educator and Emily Sullivan, director of Youth and Family programs about the community portrait project.
The mural will be hung Feb. 19 at the Boys and Girls Clubs' Mardak Center.
