Since February of 2026, the Greater Milwaukee Synod has been working on a mural project in conjunction with Venice Williams of the Table, Milwaukee and local artist Tia Richardson, in an effort to build community collaboration. We have shared gradual updates on this project via our weekly E-News, quarterly print newsletter, GoogleGroup and social media. But for those who have not been following along, this article will cover the whole story, as it soon comes to a close on October 10th at 11 am with a dedication ceremony for the newly installed mural at the Table, located at 5305 W Capitol Dr. Milwaukee. It serves as a beautiful vision of hope for the future of our community.
As we prepared for the 2026 Synod Assembly which was centered around one of our synod’s four core values: collaboration, Bishop Paul Erickson was inspired by large paintings that a congregation had done for the holidays. He had the idea of reaching out to a well known community artist, Tia Richardson, to conceptualize a large painting project that could engage the community and leave a visible mark of collaboration and love in our surrounding area.
Tia Richardson is a community muralist in Milwaukee, who works to create a “vibrant sense of community through living art” and to engage the community in the process of creating murals. Tia has been painting since childhood, and studied at MATC. Art has always served as therapy for Tia, and now she helps others find solace in it as well. She has worked with Milwaukee Christian Center’s (MCC) artist-in residence program, helping teens develop art skills as well as confidence, collaboration, and awareness. Teens from MCC and students from University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (UWM) act as assistants for Tia’s murals around Milwaukee. Her art has also been featured in multiple print publications.
Tia’s murals can be seen in the Sherman Park Neighborhood, and at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, Wilson Elementary School and Black Cat Alley (among other places). Her art helps many to process emotional stress and social struggles, as well as connect with their community.
Part of Tia’s process when creating murals is to host workshops where participants are able to share social challenges they see in the community, imagine solutions to these problems, and then draw what those solutions would look like. Individuals of all ages and skill levels are empowered to partake in the process of ideation. She then incorporates this imagery into the design. In this way her art encourages the healing of communities through identifying struggles, portraying a hopeful vision for the future, and showing actions toward that goal. Tia also involves community members in the painting process through a paint-by-number style, to lay the groundwork for the mural.
In early spring of 2026, the first official planning and painting sessions started for the synod mural project. The design for the mural was created by Tia with the help of participants at the synod’s Together in Mission event in February, who shared what they thought were important themes and challenges within the community, and participated in her visualization and drawing process. Participants were asked to describe their hopes for the human race and to articulate the challenges and obstacles that exist in fulfilling these hopes. On Saturday, March 7, we hosted a community painting day at Ascension Lutheran Church, Milwaukee for participants to start working on painting the base of the mural. Forty members of the community showed up to paint and connect. The gymnasium where the painting took place was filled with a diverse group of all ages, sharing laughter and conversation, and together we laid the groundwork for the mural. Many adult participants who had not picked up a paint brush in a long time, described how healing and refreshing it was to partake in art again.
Tia joined us for the 2026 Synod Assembly as our Keynote Speaker, to talk about her work, the intention behind it, and how the synod mural was progressing. She shared how she thinks about race relations as being the human race, to which we all belong. The synod mural depicts many global elements to reflect these ideas, including the multicultural fabric adorning the woman who helps support the globe. At the end of the keynote, she opened the floor to attendants to share what they thought about the mural and what it meant to them, as they saw it for the first time.
After the base of the mural was done, Tia, UWM students, and volunteers worked to add layers and details to it. It was created in large panels, which were later assembled into a frame and put onto the side of the Table building. The mural depicts a figure entrusting the earth into the hands of generations of diverse individuals, who wear an array of expressions. It includes a cloaked individual on the outskirts, being welcomed into the fold. As your eye travels from left to right, imagery starts more barren and serene, and ends more lush and celebratory. The Home Bridge of Milwaukee signifies our city, with the Milwaukee river connecting it all. As a nod to the location of the mural, a table sits in the center, laid with abundance and food. More of the imagery can be heard from Tia at the dedication. This mural will remain there as a legacy of hope, collaboration, and love.
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To learn more about Tia’s work, visit her website, or read this article by the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who interviewed Tia about her work and the synod mural project. Please join us on October 10, 2026 at 11 am to celebrate the completion of this project and learn more about the work of the building where it resides.
