For many years Capitol Lakes’ Chaplain, Guta Cvetkovic, and a group of dedicated residents hosted an interfaith prayer breakfast with interesting and thought-provoking speakers. This annual tradition was paused during Covid. When planning began for a 2022 event committee members decided to re-imagine the breakfast and think outside the box. Instead of inviting a spiritual leader to Capitol Lakes, they wanted to explore Madison’s response to the murder of George Floyd during the summer of 2020.
“Let’s Talk About It” is a compilation of artwork by those artists commissioned by the city of Madison to use the boarded-up windows on State Street as their canvasses to print their longings for justice after the attack on Floyd. Committee members approached the Capitol Lakes Foundation for a grant to invite Oscar Mireles, a Madison community leader, and three of the artists featured in “Let’s Talk About It” to Capitol Lakes to discuss their process and begin a conversation about the responsibility each of us holds to create a community rooted in racial justice.
Approximately 85 residents attended the afternoon event on April 8th to fill the Grand Hall. “I was grateful to the Foundation for making this gathering possible,” recounts Chaplain Guta. “Listening to Oscar and the artists speak about what George Floyd’s murder meant for them and how they expressed their feelings through art was something our community needed to hear.”
Your Capitol Lakes Foundation is committed to enhancing the living experience by providing opportunities for residents to reflect on important issues happening both inside and outside of Capitol Lakes. You can check out artwork from "Let's Talk About It" artists on the PL level gallery of Capitol Lakes until the end of August 2022.
Photo credit to Ingrid Rothe