Feature image: Image courtesy of Madison Public Art Project.
Jillian Talarczyk
The latest installation unveiled by Madison Public Art Project (MPAP) is a fiber art mural entitled the Wildflowers of Wisconsin, which brought together over 90+ participants in its creation over the past year. Kiersten Darling is the lead fiber artist who created this mural, assisted by teaching crochet artists Sapphira Afifi and Karen Jahns. Spanning an impressive 30 feet long and 10 feet high, the mural, comprised of oversized crocheted flora native to the state of Wisconsin, will be on exhibition in McKee Farms Park in Fitchburg until August 2025.
Darling is a neuro-divergent female artist based in Milwaukee. She describes her condition with the term “spoonie” which describes someone who lives with chronic pain and utilizes this spoon theory to describe their energy levels. Darling was excited to be able to work on this project while also prioritizing her health. Keeping inclusivity as the focus, she created wonderful flower patterns using flora species that include the Black-eyed Susan, Butterfly milkweed, Swamp milkweed, and the State Flower of Wisconsin, the Blue Violet. She also created the skillfully impressive Coneflower centerpiece freehand using her artistic language of color and shading in an oversized expression. Her special pollinators can be spotted tucked into the mural for which she used shimmer threads offering an additional layer of surprise and delight throughout this bright installation. Her finishing service, Weave In My Ends, offers a premium knit and online crochet finishing service. Sapphira Afifi, an interdisciplinary Madison-based artist, leads our community workshops throughout Madison. She was assisted by Jahns, a self-taught crochet artist who also creates handcrafted amigurumi pieces and watercolor prints and teaches private crochet lessons.
Crochet, as an art form, started in the 1820’s, and this mural demonstrates how important fiber arts still are today. As the creative director of MPAP, I am thrilled at how this textile project brought many participants of all ages and backgrounds together learning the various flower crochet patterns over the past year while attending our mural workshops. The mural is not just beautiful, but it raises awareness about climate change and encourages greater stewardship of the land, encouraging individuals to rethink their own consumption habits. The work inspires personal action to combat climate change including reducing, reusing, recycling, upcycling, foraging, composting, and promoting pollinator friendly gardening spaces.
For more information on this project, please visit www.MadisonPublicArtProject.org and Instagram at @madisonpublicartproject. Limited edition jigsaw puzzle gifts of this mural are also available with a non-profit donation. Darling’s work is at @endswoven and www.weaveinmyends.com and Jahns is at craftysideofkaren.com.
Viewing the mural is free and open to all. Visit and experience this beautiful, colorful, and tactile work during the exhibition. Thank you to all the Community Crochet Day participants who joined our art initiative, to the City of Fitchburg, and our generous Sponsors. For mural purchase inquiries, please contact:info@madisonpublicartproject.org or call 608.800.7728. Jillian is the Founder & Creative Director of the Madison Public Art Project.