Developing Artists Murals and Alliances (DAMA), a non-profit mural program devoted to using the transformative power of art to visually beautify communities and engage members of neighborhoods, will honor local community leaders in a night of music, celebration, and recognition at its Caribbean Night fundraiser tonight from 6-10 p.m. at the Madison Labor Temple.
“We decided to do a little traveling to the Caribbean to celebrate Mural Month. The month of October is Mural Month. Our keynote speaker will be Karin Wolf, the arts and culture administrator for the City of Madison in the Department of Planning and Community and Economic Development, who will be talking about the contributions of arts in our community,” Verónica Figueroa-Velez, the executive director of DAMA, tells Madison365. Wolf is also a staff member of the Madison Arts Commission.
“We will have food, presentations, keynote spaekrs, music, and a DJ. We’ll have some great awardees that we will be honoring event,” Figueroa-Velez says. “It’s just going to be a great opportunity for people to come out and have fun with others and to socialize as they raise money for a great cause.”
The emcees of the event will be Heidi Figueroa and Stephanie Moreno and Son del Atlantico will perform.
At the event, DAMA will present the following awards to community leaders:
- The Visionary Arts Award, which honors a leader whose trailblazing work inspires people, artists, and communities through community engagement and leadership, will be presented to Samantha Crownover
- The Above and Beyond Artists Award, which celebrates individuals who have gone the extra mile to promote culture through art activities, teaching, mentoring, and supporting young people to thrive, will be presented to Silvia Gomez de Soriano.
- The Creative Economic Impact Award, is given to an individual whose creativity ignites inspiration, collaborates with others to raise awareness of the cultural and economic impact of the arts in the City and the County, and provides a platform for young people to amplify their voices” will be awarded to Justice Castañeda.
- The Outstanding Service Award, given in appreciation to “individuals for their significant contributions and selfless dedication to helping DAMA make a positive impact on the lives of young people through their generous financial support and voluntarism” will be presented to Jonathan Gramling.
- The Community Engagement Youth Award which celebrates young individuals who use their creative talents to engage peers and youth in community-based public art, will be presented to Anna Jordan-Vazquez.
DAMA’s vision is to use mural-making to help develop a network of communities whose members, especially youth, feel safe in their neighborhoods and proud of their communities.
“We are working really hard now to transform DAMA into more of a programming-based organization, other than just having commissioned work, so that we can continue to uplift our mission to support new people and work on youth development and allow safe spaces for our young kids to gather, create, communicate with each other, and create community amongst themselves, but also expose them to the community at large and to community murals,” Figueroa-Velez says.
“So it’s a great opportunity for them to have a space where they can have their voices heard through the process of art making, as well,” she continues. “But at the same time expose them to other career opportunities, from the trades to higher education, with the partnerships that we have been able to create throughout the last three summer programs.”
Fundraising from tonight’s Caribbean Night will help DAMA continue to make a difference with its youth program and the training of aspiring artists, helping to make an impact the lives of countless young individuals within our community.
“The fundraising goes for our youth program … towards the summer programs for our youth,” says Figueroa-Velez. “The youth get paid throughout the summer to work with us, to learn skills, to really discover a little bit about themselves, and to paint with us and create community through the process of art making in our communities.
“So 100 percent of your donations go towards the youth programming, and that will pay for sponsoring youth who are coming to our program to get paid throughout the summer as they learn and develop themselves and the leadership skills.”
This will be the second annual big fundraiser event for DAMA. Last year, they hosted the first-ever Masquerade Ball.
“I think Caribbean Night will be a good chance to come and get to know who we are. We’ll have a brand-new brochure that just came out that gives you the opportunity to really understand what DAMA is about and how you can get involved and engage with us and support our youth,” Figueroa-Velez says. “Every penny goes towards a youth program, and when we show up for our youth, then we’re sending the kids a message that they matter and their voices matter. So we want as many community people to come out as possible, and as many young people as possible to also show up and have fun and get to know who we are.”
To purchase tickets to DAMA’s Caribbean Night with Son del Atlantico, click here.
