Metro Panthers - Our Community Strengthened Through Jail
Checking in with a teen who helped create the Metro Panthers Mural in the Detention Center.
This project was in collaboration with The Bubbler’s Making Justice Program. I appreciate your support!
What started with students in jail wanting a mascot to be proud of and to stand in front of for their graduation pictures, lead to the ripple effect of four murals and a logo being created, ultimately strengthening our community from the inside out.
Some former teens we had met in workshops and through making a mural together in the Dane County detention center, were requesting The Bubbler and Audifax to help their project come to life. The Bubbler has been working with these facilities for 9 years, creating these relationships and since they remembered their positive experience with us, this was proof we are in fact making a difference in the lives of those we work with.
The idea rolled into online meetings during COVID restrictions. With this in place, we had to be crafty. Amazingly the idea came to me organically in our first meeting. “I’ll draft the design and paint numbers and labels so we can trade off the canvas.” With only 2 weeks until graduation, we were on a time crunch, but the depth of past relationships created by the Bubbler is what made this possible - their teacher was comfortable to do it, in turn the Sergeant approved it, and so on. We made it happen and we made it happen fast! Seeing the student’s smiling faces in their caps and gowns was priceless.
How the Panther made it’s way into the next classrooms. That one classroom that first requested this was the first of many. The teachers at shelter, detention and jail meet weekly and at first they weren’t even thinking about it being more than just the jail, but everyone saw the work and realized that the visual connection would be so much stronger if they all had their own version, and this spiraled into 6 months of Metro Panthers Murals being created with students in each facility.
In the end one of the greatest and longest lasting pieces is that visual connection between the spaces for the kids to make themselves. If you see that logo, you see that someone cares about you. Your growth is still being supported even though you’re here.
“The reason for me being there isn’t for me to be this cool artist to pop in, make this, leave and get my paycheck. It’ s about setting a good example and show ‘Hey, I’m someone in the community you normally wouldn’t talk to, potentially even respect. Not all adults are the same and we can understand each other if we both open up.’ For me the reasons are to be supportive to someone who may not expect it. That’s what the panther means to me.” - Audifax
MMSD Teachers involved with Panther Mascot Murals:
Tina Geier - Dane County Jail classroom in the City-County Building
Tina Geier - Dane County Jail classroom in the Public Safety Building
Ben Stueck - Dane County Juvenile Detention Center classroom
Britt Falbo - Dane County Juvenile Court Shelter Home classroom
Read more about each project here:
Metro Panthers Original Mascot
Metro Panthers Detention Center
Metro Panthers Jail - Public Safety Building
Metro Panthers Shelter (Stay Tuned)
The four Metro Panthers murals we created: Detention Center,Original Jail Mural, Jail- Public Safety Building & Shelter.