Back Story
Our founder, Symphony Swan-Zawadi, lost her mother and father within a short three-year period. With each parent, Symphony served as their primary caregiver at the end of their lives. She ensured that they ended their lives surrounded by love and youthful energy. Losing her parents was difficult, and losing her father unearthed complicated feelings because of their estranged relationship.
It wasn't until she revisited her father's house, her childhood home, that she realized how influential her mother and father were in creating a space for her to live authentically and creatively. She also realized her father's creative influence over her life. He was an artist and transferred that energy in every way possible. He loved literature, history, woodworking, music, and photography. Symphony finds connection and inspiration in each of these areas.
After working as an educator and arts non-profit executive, Symphony received several dream messages from her father and was led to transform his house. Located in the Old North Milwaukee neighborhood, this area is often forgotten about. The CR8TV HOUSE will serve as a place that inspires, supports, and uplifts the next generation of creatives. CR8TV House will serve as an arts institution intending to document, exhibit, archive and celebrate the work of Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists.
THE CR8TV HOUSE is about activating and transforming space and mindset. we provide space for radical imagination collaboration and support.
Many hands make light work.
The CR8TV HOUSE is crafted as a necessary community art centered third space, providing a platform for Black and Brown artists to explore, critique, celebrate, and address community issues and triumphs through their artistic practices. It stands as a space where belonging takes precedence, centering on the lived experiences, creativity, and contributions of Black and Brown artists residing and working in Milwaukee.
What we are about!
CR8TV HOUSE is dedicated to creating and sustaining spaces that provide community and access for Black and historically marginalized artists.
Our mission is to support artists in making art, exhibiting their work, and engaging in meaningful conversations about the issues that matter most to our communities.
We are committed to stewarding Black stories by uplifting, critiquing, and celebrating the richness of Black life and experiences. We believe that to truly understand who we are, we must begin to tell ourselves new and transformative stories.
At CR8TV HOUSE, we continually reflect on key questions that drive our work:
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How can we empower artists to use their practice to collaborate with and uplift their communities?
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How can we decolonize art-making spaces to imagine new, inclusive ways of engaging with art and artists?
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How can we use art as a tool to activate and build stronger communities?
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How can we use art to document and honor the narratives that shape our identities?
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Our vision is to create a future where art serves as a catalyst for connection, empowerment, and transformation.
Mission
To make space for radical imagination, support and collaboration
Vision
Center the belief that artists can use their practice to solve complex problems.
Values
Imagination.
Collaboration.
Conversation.
Community.
Knowledge Sharing
