Location: Wisconsin

As a child, Milwaukee artist DeMar Walker was captivated by a mural on the side of a building: the former home of an organization called the Inner City Arts Council. Now the artistic director of Ko-Thi Dance Company, Walker is capturing the stories of the elders who contributed to this historic space for Black arts and celebrating the legacy of its foundational work.

When you visit Portage County, Wisconsin, you’ll see thirteen incredible new pieces of art on buildings around the region. Through a program inspired by the New Deal, CREATE Portage County, a people-centered economic development organization in Stevens Point, WI, put artists impacted by COVID-19 to work painting murals inspired by themes including food, imagination, farming, refugee experiences, and resilience.

What happens when Wisconsin winter meets Brazilian carnaval celebration, all during a pandemic? You get a new music video for Brazilian artist Paulo Padilha’s song, “Outro Carnaval,” featuring students and faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Stout playing alongside musicians in São Paulo.