Experience Downtown Blog

"Road of Democracy" Commemorates Democratic National Convention and Historic Movements

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A new public art project in downtown Milwaukee spreads a message of hope and encouragement. Nearly 60 street pole banners were installed along Water Street and Kilbourn Avenue to celebrate the virtues of democracy, as well as the public spaces and city streets that have hosted demonstrations of our First Amendment Right throughout our nation’s history. 

Curated by Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21, “Road of Democracy” is a collaborative project among three Milwaukee artists – Milwaukee’s Poet Laureate Dasha Kelly Hamilton, previous Artist of the Year Della Wells and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Brad Pruitt. Additional partners of the project include: City of Milwaukee Arts Board, Imagine MKE, and America's Black Holocaust Museum. 

The street pole banners will feature collage work by Della Wells alongside excerpts from Dasha Kelly Hamilton’s 2020 poem, “Of.” Brad Pruitt will create a film narrative highlighting pivotal moments in history and parallels to the current climate. In this historic year of transformation, 2020 marks the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. Pruitt’s film will debut in the fall of 2020. 

“‘Road of Democracy’ commemorates the 2020 Democratic National Convention and aspires to spur local and national dialogue on race and democracy,” said Beth Weirick, CEO of Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21. “This project is dedicated to the countless individuals who have participated in historic movements in our streets near and far, and for the thousands yet to march.” 

In all, 58 street pole banners with excerpts from Hamilton’s poem, “Of,” and images from Wells’ collage work will be on display near City Hall, between August and December 2020, before finding a permanent home at America’s Black Holocaust Museum, where they will be preserved for future installations and exhibitions. 

“Since its inception, there are many people and movements that have pushed America along its journey on the road of democracy,” said Della Wells. “And often there were and are those who either did or do not want to make the necessary trip to get there. Either because we are too comfortable at the spot on the road we are currently at, too scared, don’t know how, or don’t want or see the need to travel further. Fortunately, since our nation’s inception, there have been those that have forced America to continue the journey so we may see and fix the holes and cracks in them so all of us are allowed to travel on it unencumbered and to achieve the betterment and freedom for all of us, not just a chosen few.” 

"One day, it won't be so remarkable but, today, it is a bold statement for two Black women to welcome the nation to Milwaukee,” said Dasha Kelly Hamilton. “I'm proud to work with Della, lending language, and offering inspiration during this time of transformation for our city and country." 

Featured works by Della Wells in the “Road of Democracy” installation include: “I Carry My Chicken With Me,” 2020; “If You Don’t Fight To Remove The Masks That America Has Placed On Us, We Will Never Harvest The Fruit Of Freedom,” 2020; “My Rainbow Makes Me Dance,” 2019; “Here It Is,” 2020; and “Riding The Road To There,” 2019. 

Hamilton’s poem, “Of,” written for the “Road of Democracy” project emphasizes the purpose of place in journeying towards one’s rights. 

For more information, visit the project's webpage at www.roadofdemocracy.com.