By: Kristina Kuhaupt, Customer Experience Manager
Willy Street Co-op has been locally growing for 50 years together with our surrounding communities. Our Co-op was started by a small group of eastside Madisonians who wanted more access to simple, high-quality food grown by local farmers and makers. They wanted to know how the food was grown and where it was coming from. In the 50 years since, more and more Americans have become interested in where their food comes from, who’s making it, and how it’s made. The Co-op has grown along with this interest, now serving 34,000 Owners at three stores, a production kitchen, a central office and a new eastside community space, becoming one of the largest food cooperatives in the country.
As we approached our 50th year, we wanted to commemorate this milestone with a new East store mural, created by a local Dane County artist, to represent our vision statement in art form: “Willy Street Co-op is a local community partner that nourishes a sustainable, accessible, and equitable food system where everyone can participate.” We received many stunning entries in the spring of this year, and from those entries, a Co-op art selection committee narrowed them down to just three concepts. Our Owners voted for their favorite in the month of July, with more than 400 Owners participating in this collective process. The winning vote was for the “Roots of our Community” mural by Sylvia Annelise Hecht. For more information on the other two artists and concepts, please visit our voting results webpage: https://www.willystreet.coop/co-op-blog/willy-east-mural-design-vote-results As a reminder, this new mural will replace our beloved 12-year-old “Utopia” rendering by Panmela Castro representing female strength and unity on the west side of the store next to the fire station. We thank Panmela for sharing her expression of self for all these years!
Sylvia explained where the inspiration for the design came from by saying, “…I saw images of the root systems of native prairie grasses, which hold an enormous amount of water and nutrients, and can extend up to 15 feet underground. [These roots] are crucial for maintaining the health of our soil and our native ecosystems.” Sylvia mentioned that her goal is to create art that inspires and gives a sense of peace. In September of 2022, Sylvia had her own personal journey through the recovery from a traumatic brain injury, which guided her to be, “…passionate about exploring the way our environment affects our nervous system, and the strategies I’ve learned about using our environment to assist with self-regulation.” This personal experience has shaped Sylvia’s advocacy for neurodiversity, which is also represented in this mural alongside other diversities including multiple lenses of human experiences, ecosystem, and biodiversity. Sylvia’s work is not only local, but world-wide. She has traveled the world painting murals, “…learning to incorporate local culture and values into my murals, and investigating the relationship between our environments and our emotional states.”
It has been wonderful to see the mural sketch come to life during the painting progress this past month. By the time you read this article, the mural will be close to completion and ready for celebration. Please stay tuned to future mural dedication details through our social media and website.
Owner Perks and events to look forward to during our 50th anniversary:
Birthday Cake Cutting with the Board at each store. Come enjoy some homemade chocolate and orange vegan cakes made by our Off Site Kitchen staff.
- North Store: October 5, 11am-1pm
- West Store: October 12, 11am-1pm
- East Store: October 19, 11am-1pm
Annual Meeting featuring a panel discussion including Steve Rankin and Steve Rooney, Co-op founding Owners. This meeting will take place at Aubergine (1226 Williamson Street)
October 1, 5-8pm (appetizers and beverages will be provided)
MMoCA Gallery Night participant at Aubergine (1226 Williamson Street), featuring a retrospective of historical curated Co-op photographs from 1974 until now. Appetizers and drinks will be provided.
October 4, 5-9pm
Owner Community Perks from October 2024–October 2025
In celebration of our 50th anniversary, we have partnered with businesses throughout our communities where you can get a free product or discount just because you’re a Willy Street Co-op Owner! We call them Community Perks. Check out all participating businesses at: willystreet.coop/community-perks.
Madison Magazine highlight of East Mural Project
