A crowd gathered in Miller Park on Saturday to celebrate a new public art piece about "Creating Safe Spaces." More than 40 youth artists worked with local arts organizations and police officers to create the colorful, large-scale painting while community building.
Youth art camps are already filling up at Illinois Art Station. As the art center rounds the bend on one full year since moving into their new home on Vernon Avenue, new leadership by a familiar face in the Twin Cities arts scene is returning the non-profit to its community roots and reigniting the Youth Mural Project for the first time since 2019.
Willie Brown was known as a local leader because of his commitment to helping others. After his passing in March, Brown's former employer, State Farm, is donating $250,000 to the Western Avenue Community Center to continue Brown's dedication to serving the community.
Originally a respected and professional woman in El Salvador, Claudia Calvo moved to the United States in 2014 to start a family. Navigating life in a new country and speaking a new language was a challenge by itself, but Calvo also navigated being a mother and prioritizing mental health in a new country.