"The Machine," as the artwork is called, was unveiled to the public on Sept. 25. | Twitter
"The Machine," as the artwork is called, was unveiled to the public on Sept. 25. | Twitter
A Madison neighborhood last summer was inundated by a series of racist flyers, prompting the Madison Arts Commission to install a mural depicting a queue of children of color waiting to select a “life path” from a vending machine filled with options such as “poverty,” “prison” and “police brutality.”
"The Machine," as the artwork is called, was unveiled to the public on Sept. 25 with a goal to “raise questions and inspire action to advance social justice and racial equity,” a press release attributed to the City of Madison said.
City leaders hailed the latest art installation in the Dungeon/Monroe neighborhood.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said "The Machine" was part of “a beautiful weekend for really great events.”
“Wonderful to see so many folks at the mural unveiling in the Dudgeon/Monroe neighborhood,” Rhodes-Conway tweeted. “Amazing work!”
Madison Alderman Tag Evers said the mural enhances the neighborhood.
"At the core of this effort is the desire to make Dungeon Monroe a more welcoming neighborhood,” Evers said in the city’s release. “This mural is an exciting step in that direction.”
Channel 3000 reported that about 100 people attended the unveiling at the corner of Monroe Street and Harrison Street.
"The Machine" depicts a line of children of color waiting to make a selection at the “Life Path Vending” machine, which has options including prison, poverty and police brutality. A white woman is handing out items to the children from boxes, one of which is labeled “no cops in schools.”
Project organizers told X107.1 that they tabbed a black artist and gave her the theme of “anti-racism.”
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