Name: Elise Armani
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hometown: Madison, WI
College: College of Liberal Arts

On Friday, November 11th, international mural artist Rock Martinez hosted a talk and workshop at the Weisman Art Museum, speaking to students and community members about his work and the value of public art. Born in Tucson, Arizona and currently painting in Minneapolis, Martinez has spent his artistic career breathing life into urban spaces with detailed murals that feature native nature and local symbols.

Today at the Weisman Art Museum, the WAM Collective had the pleasure of partnering with Small World Coffee Hour (SWCH), a student organization that has been around for 20+ years serving up hot coffee as a way to bring together international and domestic students from around the world. For the Weisman edition of SWCH we set our sites on Pan-America, the geographic region featured in our current exhibition Pan-American Modernism on view at the Weisman through January 1st.

Research illustrates the countless mental health benefits of viewing and making art. Art therapy techniques are used for reducing anxiety and stress, processing life changes and trauma, expressing emotions, and enhancing focus and concentration. Doodling is a way for many to calm a wandering mind, organize their thoughts, and focus in on tasks at hand.

Public art can form and shape communities in a number of positive ways. By providing aesthetic value to a public space, street art provides value by creating conversations and forming relationships between individuals and the places they call home.