Mural reflects history, resiliency of Milwaukee’s Garden Homes neighborhood

By Jesse Garza

The Garden Homes neighborhood on Milwaukee’s north side has had its struggles.

Crime, drug dealing, years of disinvestment that led to abandoned properties and boarded up houses.

But a lot of good has come from the historic neighborhood: former Milwaukee Police Chief Art Jones; neighborhood leader Martha Freeman, pastor of Alpha Omega Ministries; longtime residents; and a resilient sense of hope that residents can restore the quality of life all communities strive for.

That resiliency was on display Wednesday with the unveiling of a 12-by-24-foot mural by Milwaukee artist Ras Ammar Nsoroma that includes images of Jones and Freeman and that will grace the intersection of Atkinson and Teutonia avenues.

“May it reflect all of the aspirations of residents, every stakeholder, every institution and organization that is not only represented in the mural but also in the community,” said Pastor Christopher Boston of Lamb of God Missionary Baptist Church, who grew up in the Garden Homes neighborhood.

This mural project is included in the 2018 Garden Homes Neighborhood Plan, developed in 2016 and led by the 30th Street Corridor Corp. and Clean Wisconsin.

The plan, developed by more than 200 residents, 40 churches, nonprofit organizations and other community groups, focuses on neighborhood pride, housing, crime and safety, education, health and wellness, economic development and employment.

“They keep saying we got some challenges that we have to get over here in this area,” 1st District Ald. and Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton told several dozen people who attended the event.

“We keep trying to tell them we have some strong history over here,” Hamilton said of the neighborhood, bounded approximately by Capitol Drive on the south, Teutonia Avenue on the east, Congress and Ruby avenues on the north and 30th Street on the west.

“And if you could just only recognize what so many people have poured into this area of the city and the expectation that we now have of what we can accomplish, you would be celebrating what’s been happening over here instead of criticizing,” Hamilton said.

Mural themes include neighborhood institutions like New Hope Baptist Church, which donated the space for the mural, and Garden Homes Lutheran Church.

It also highlights the importance of green infrastructure practices like rain barrels and native plants that help reduce flood risk during heavy storms , according to Cheryl Blue, executive director of the 30th St. Industrial Corridor Corp.

“The mural will serve as a gateway marker, welcoming people to the Garden Homes neighborhood,” Blue said.

An update on the Garden Homes Neighborhood Plan is planned for early December, Blue said.