Artist's Statement

While working on my final project and my service learning, I was able to learn a lot about the community and people who lived in the area. I was able to improve my skills in camera use and learn some things about video cameras. Overall I thought my time spent working on this project and my service learning hours was time well spent. My final project and participation forced me to go places I would never have gone, and use skills I didn’t know I had. At times it was frustrating and I had to overcome daily obstacles, but I really appreciate what I was able to take away from this adventure.
My entire final project documented my service learning hours. I was able to meet some really interesting people who live in the community and they were able to show me what they love about where they live. The two people that stand out most in my mind were David Boucher and Muneer Bahauddeen. Both these men were really cool people because they both shared a love for improving the community. Dave was focused on community health and eliminating the drugs in his neighborhood. Muneer was passionate about sharing his love for art and using it in a constructive way to help build a sense of solidarity for the people he worked with.
When putting my final project together, my camera played a huge role. I was able to capture all of my service learning sessions with pictures. These pictures helped tell my story about the people and places I went. Also as a group we worked on a video and I was able to learn a lot about the ways videos are put together. Since I had no prior experience working with video cameras, I was able to learn a lot about editing and recording footage from my fellow group members.
For my individual portion of my final project, I wanted to do something very different and I also wanted to have some fun. I put a lot of my photos that I didn’t necessarily use in my blog site, and put them in a scrapbook as a sort of brief collection of pictures and illustrations of my journey. I was happy to be able to use some of my own creative abilities to make something that I think represented the “story” of my experience in Film 150. I wanted my scrapbook to be simple but also enhance my photos.
Taken as a whole this project was challenging at times, but mostly was a good experience, and reflecting back on my small adventure, I am really thankful for what I learned. I did not know what to expect when I signed up for this class, and was apprehensive about any class that was focused on art. After reflecting on my entire experience I can say that the most important thing that I learned is that people who have a passion for what they do are the most content with their lives, and I hope to one day do something that makes me feel the same way.

Johnsons Park

Throughout the semester I have learned a lot about Johnsons Park Neighborhood Association. I have learned that it isn’t just about a park, it is about a community. The neighborhood has progressed significantly and I was very excited to be part of it. I was apprehensive at first before I knew what Johnsons Park was, but once I got to experience the park and neighborhood, I was impressed with the obvious transformations. To see a beautiful park in the middle of urban Milwaukee was very refreshing. I think that having a park as a staple for an organization and community shows the commitment to change in the inner city.

A Step Above the Rest Daycare

While in Johnsons Park, my groups members and I came across a women who runs a daycare out of her own home in community. She owned a new home which was one of the homes that were recently built as part of the initiatives for rebuilding the area that was once torn down so that a highway could be constructed. She remodeled her basement and turned it into a kid haven. She offered superior services and made a point to emphasize educational and social skills to the children.

Muneer Bahauddeen

Another person that I met while doing my Service Learning is named Muneer Bahauddeen. Muneer is a artist who specializes in ceramics. Muneer works with St. Charles, a Milwaukee Public School. At St. Charles he works with kids that are in detention and instead of just having them sit there, he brings his skills as an artist to the kids. He recently had each child design a symbol that represents them and put that symbol on a tile to be part of a large mosaic for the students. Muneer makes what could be a very bad experience for the kids, and turns it into something that is positive and enjoyable. I can tell that Muneer loves to share his work with people, and is very enthusiastic about encouraging others to express their creativity just like he does every day. Muneer also works with larger organizations to design artwork for buildings and memorials. Froedtert hospital recently hired Muneer to make two ceramic wall designs for their new Crane Cancer Outpatient Center. Muneer also worked on designing a memorial area called the “Wall of Heroes and Victims”, where children were honored that have died in the area over the past three years. Muneer’s work is beautiful and very creative and he offers classes on Tuesday nights to teach people how to make pottery and ceramics. Muneer Bahauddeen's phone number is (414)-241-666. He is located across the street from the Amaranth Bakery on 3329 W Lisbon Ave Milwaukee, WI.

The Amaranth Cafe and Bakery

The Amaranth Café and Bakery was started by Dave Boucher, an Urban Studies major from UWM, whose goal is to improve the area he calls home. Mr. Boucher lives on 34th street and West Lisbon, which is also where his bakery is located. Dave Boucher has gone through a lot of trials when dealing with the neighborhood that he lives in, but has faith that one day his efforts will be paid off and improvements in this crime-ridden area will be celebrated. The main goal behind the bakery that he opened was to expose the neighborhood to the healthy alternatives that can be made in place of fast food joints. All his baked goods and food is all natural and very healthy. On Tuesday nights, he offers “Pay what you can soup nights”, where he opens up his café to anyone who would like to have some healthy soups (which are delicious) for whatever they can afford. By having his café located where a drug house used to be, Dave Boucher is showing the public that change is a very good thing. Amaranth Bakery & Cafe is located at 3329 W. Lisbon Avenue Milwaukee WI. His phone number is (414) 934-0587. Email- amaranthbc@gmail.com. Amaranth Bakery & Cafe Hours are Tuesday - Saturday 7:00 am- 2:00 Tuesday nights are open late for "Pay what you can soup night"

Alice's Garden

Alice’s Garden was started in 2006 as part of the Johnsons Park Neighborhood Association initiative to revitalize the area. Alice’s Garden is located on N. 20th Street, right next to Johnsons Park. Individuals and organizations can purchase their own “plots” and plant a small garden in this plot. The Urban Open Space Foundation has also proposed that they create a shelter for classes to be held in association with UW-Extension’s gardening programs and Milwaukee Public Schools’ Brown Street Academy.
Personally when I saw Alice’s Garden I thought that it had a long way to go. This might be due to the time of year I visited. It was a fenced off area and you could see small square plots divided off. There were about 15 plots or so. I would assume that they will probably begin planting soon, with spring in full force, and this garden will really come to life.


Alice's Garden

Photo Essay Slideshow