SHARP in the Community
Community Murals Reinforce Classroom Learning
SHARP’s murals provide children with the opportunity to express themselves through art. Each mural starts with research about a particular topic. Students then write about what they have learned and further express it through the visual arts. The students collaborate as a team to create a large-scale mural that later is often displayed in the community. Each mural is a beautiful, visual exploration of a specific subject as seen through the eyes of our children.
Artist Sally Duback has guided SHARP students to transform their art into finished mosaics. Twenty-seven mural projects have been installed throughout Milwaukee — at General Mitchell International Airport, Discovery World, Miller Park and many other locations.
Lake Country - Shorehaven
Seniors from Shorehaven in Oconomowoc and students from Whitter Elementary in Waukesha collaborated to create this Lake Country-themed mural.
Explore MKE - Ovation Sarah Chudnow
Approximately 25 5th grade students from Messmer St. Mary’s School & 15 seniors from Ovation Sarah Chudnow worked together to create the mural, Explore MKE. Ovation Communities sponsored the project.
Connected by Code - Brianna's Dream - MSOE Grohmann Museum
Approximately 25 4th & 5th grade students in SHARP’s Design Through Code program created the mural. It was sponsored by MSOE, Wisconsin Arts Board & Northwestern Mutual.
Eagle Coders - Forest Home School
25 Forest Home 4th grade students in SHARP’s Design Through Code program created this mural. It was sponsored by MSOE, Wisconsin Arts Board, Mary Nohl Foundation & Northwestern Mutual.
Discovering Waukesha - Carroll University Campus Center
SHARP Literacy partnered with Carroll University and the School District of Waukesha to create a “Discovering Waukesha” mural at Carroll University Campus Center Artist Sally Duback led the project, with 150 second and third grade students participating from Banting Elementary School, Summit View Elementary School, Whittier Elementary School and La Casa de Esperanza, all in Waukesha. The mural includes landmarks, cityscapes and elements of Waukesha communities that make Waukesha a unique and special place to live.
Bee - Prairie Springs Environmental Education Center
SHARP Literacy, Inc. partnered with Carroll University’s Prairie Springs Environmental Education Center to create three mosaic “Bee” murals. Artist Sally Duback led the project, with 130 second grade students participating from Banting Elementary School, Summit View Elementary School and Whittier Elementary School in Waukesha. The “Bee” murals were based on SHARP Literacy’s We Love to Learn book, A Busy Bee: The Story of Bella the Honey Bee.
Drop to Dinner - Neighborhood House Garden Park
Artist in Residence Sally Duback, SHARP Literacy staff and Neighborhood House summer program students created a mural depicting urban agriculture. The Drop to Dinner mural at Neighborhood House’s Garden Park was unveiled on August 21, 2015.
Moveable Feast - Miller Park
SHARP students from Lutheran Special School and Education Services worked with Milwaukee-based artist Sally Duback to create a mural based on SHARP’s 12th We Love to Learn book, There Grows the Neighborhood: Agriculture in the City.
Freedom - War Memorial
Students from Doerfler, Forest Home, St. Martini and Trowbridge Schools wrote themes on the meaning of freedom and used them to create the images that became a mural installed in the War Memorial.
Transportation - Intermodal Station
SHARP Literacy staff worked in collaboration with the United Neighborhood Community Centers of Milwaukee to guide over 400 students in grades 3-6 to research and complete writing assignments about transportation needs in our community. The types of transportation the children studied are represented in this beautiful mosaic.
Greater Milwaukee Circle of Life - Marquette University Alumni Memorial Union
This mural was part of an ambitious four-year collaborative project to bridge racial and cultural divides. Students at five participating schools researched, read and wrote about the heritage and customs of their own cultures while also learning about other cultures. The resulting mosaic illustrates Greater Milwaukee’s rich ethnic, social and religious diversity.
Anna F. Doerfler Community School
Doerfler elementary school students used their research, language and social studies skills to study four major holidays (Thanksgiving, Three Kings Day, the Fourth of July and Day of the Dead) that are meaningful for the predominantly Hispanic/Latino community at the school. Students worked with Milwaukee artist Sally Duback in making the holiday scenes come to life.
The Evolution of Technology - Discovery World
This mural project partnered SHARP students from Irving J. Seher School with children from the Don and Sallie Davis Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee to create The Evolution of Technology, based on studies about the role technology plays in our history and lives. The mural features mechanical and robotic pieces from Rockwell Automation, the primary sponsor for the mural.
Greenfield Elementary School
Students in grades 2-5 at Greenfield Bilingual Elementary School participated in the creation of this mural. Each grade generated a panel based on the writing assignment tied to their individual grade’s curriculum.
Mosaic of Culture - We Energies Communities - General Mitchell International Airport
A collaborative effort between SHARP, We Energies and Milwaukee County, the Mosaic of Culture mural was installed at General Mitchell International Airport on the 2nd Floor skywalk. Approximately 1,000 3rd grade students from eight schools created this mural.
Lake Express Ferry Terminal
To create this mural, SHARP students used a newly developed social studies curriculum based on People of Michigan/People of the World. About 500 4th grade students from two schools created the mural for the ferry terminal that provides high-speed service between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Muskegon, Michigan.
Ceria M. Travis Academy
Students in grades 3-4 at the academy created a mural for their school after studying communities around Milwaukee.
Building a Nation - Forest Home Elementary School
Students in grades 3-5 at Forest Home Avenue Elementary School worked with artists to create a mural based on the fifth grade unit, Building a Nation. The project reinforced students’ learnings about the American Revolution as well as promoted diversity and cultural awareness.
Four Seasons - St. Rose Catholic Urban Academy
Working with artists in residence, 2nd grade students created a mural for their school based on their studies of weather and the seasons.
Messmer Preparatory Catholic School
Based on their research and study of the Milwaukee community, 3rd grade students created a mural to display in their school.
Building a Nation - Urban Day 12th Street School
Based on the curriculum, Building a Nation, 5th grade students created this mural.
Mosaic Bench – Neighborhood House Garden Park
SHARP Summer Learning Gain Initiative students worked with Artist in Residence, Sally Duback.