Seeing Green: Art, Ecology, and Activism in Milwaukee

Chris Cornelius, Oneida Maple Sugar Camp

This is a new structure for the Oneida Environmental Services Division on the Oneida Reservation in Oneida, Wisconsin. The building will be primarily used by the students of the Oneida Elementary School where they learn the cultural importance of maple sugaring. The building utilizes cordwood masonry as its primary wall enclosure system.

Michelle Woggon and Zachary Nesgoda, Harvesting Rainwater

Harvesting Rainwater is a project that addresses the need for our most precious resource: water. It choreographs a rainwater collection process that can be applied to multiple settings. This full-scale model provides a thoughtful and innovative approach to water conservation and can be made inexpensively at costs ranging around $75.

RiverPulse, Marsupial Bridge Project, Riveredge Nature Center Project

RiverPulse is a one-of-a-kind public video installation that displays the vital signs of Milwaukee’s rivers. RiverPulse uses art and technology to artistically interpret scientific water quality data for the general public. Actual data taken from the river throughout the day will control and transform the flowing video-art. RiverPulse will demonstrate that our rivers are living organisms that maintain life and directly affect the water quality of Lake Michigan and the water we drink. RiverPulse will be launched in Milwaukee this summer at Water St. (Marsupial Bridge) and then at Riveredge Nature Center.
Please visit http://www.riverpulse.org for more details.

Susan Simensky Bietila, 28 Years of People Power

The 28 Years of People Power mural is dedicated to the 28-year grassroots campaign and Native and non-Native alliance that defeated the proposed Crandon mine on Wisconsin’s Wolf River. This alliance won an historic victory against one the most powerful mining corporations in the world. The mural will be displayed at Woodland Pattern and then will travel. Special thanks to the teachers and students at Bay View High School that helped with the painting and the local businesses — Bliffert Lumber, Mautz Paint on Brady St. and National Ace on S. Howell that donated materials.

Laura Klein, The Banquet

The Banquet is a children’s book that takes place in a neighborhood where jobs are not prevalent and nutrition is not always accessible. This book (inspired by Milwaukee’s Growing Power) provides a pathway toward economic and ecological sustainability by growing fruit and nut trees around the city. The central character is a boy named Jaylen who has a dream of bringing the people in his neighborhood together by means of local food production. Through his quest, the reader is given a glimpse of hope in an area where sustenance is imported and indoor activities take precedence.