Safe Messages: Using graphic design to deter crime & violence - Spring 2012

Thanks to the support of MPS Partnership for the Arts and Safe & Sound, ArtWorks is partnering with The Art Institute of Wisconsin in spring 2012 to offer a graphic design program to underserved high school Interns. Under the direction and planning of Lead Artist Melissa DeBuck, Interns will

1. Learn about crime and violence issues that face the 53204 neighborhood (where ArtWorks is physically located) through internet research, advice solicited from a community leader in your neighborhood, and personal experience sharing, all organized by the Lead Artist.
2. Based on themes of information that the Interns identify, they will pick an anti-crime/violence topic from an identified list (Gangs, Guns, Drugs, Youth Violence, etc.)
3. The Interns will work as a team to brainstorm ideas to design various images and slogans to combat the theme they selected, with the audience being their peers and younger youth in the community.
4. These designs will then be used to create a series of print-ready crime intervention posters at the Art Institute’s design lab during a series of 8 Friday night visits. These posters will be printed and distributed to locations throughout the city that serve youth.

While adults do a lot of hard work to deter young people from going down the wrong path, we believe messages created by young people and for young people will be much more effective in encouraging positive change.