Detention Center Mural - We NAILED It!

This project was in collaboration with tThe Bubbler’s Making Justice Program. I appreciate your support!

Metro Panthers PT 2 (read about the original project here) was held in the Juvenile Detention Center, where I worked with the rotation of teens who reside there awaiting their court date. During our month + together, they helped with the design’s background, choosing colors, assisting with placement and of course, painting. We started with a brown wall, that I’m pretty sure everyone but myself was questioning. One staff member approached as the layer of gold stencil was finishing and said “I’ll never doubt an artist again. When I saw that brown, I thought it was pretty ugly, but now, WOW! This is awesome!”

The teens did a great job, and now most want to paint murals in their bedrooms. As the process was underway, I checked in to get their feedback on pieces of the design, including placement of the leaves and shadows, where the light would be coming from and what angle we should paint them. Towards the end we dove into stencils that most were inexperienced in, so working chaperoned with one student at a time, I showed how to carefully apply the paint.

With the computer lab being next to their classroom, they were able to share some of their other projects and for some of the students, this was an opportunity to encourage them to find a path that focuses on their strong points. One student said “Audifax, I wish there were more young people like you to give good advice.” Me: “Maybe that’s why I’m here with you now. If you’re open to hearing, the answers are there.” Because of the interactions with the teens, staff, social workers, and of course how bad-ass the design turned out, this was one of my all-time favorite pieces with the Detention Center.

Thank you to all of the teens who helped, the staff at Dane County Detention Center, Teacher Ben Stueck and The Making Justice Program. Shout out to one student in particular who helped paint the flowers from start to finish. Your dedication and steady attention to detail truly contributed to making the panther beautiful.