The City of Milwaukee Arts Board (MAB) has unveiled the winners of the 2025 Mildred L. Harpole Artists of the Year and the Friends of the Arts awards, emphasizing the significant role the arts play in the city’s social fabric, as reported by city.milwaukee.gov. Artists Amal Azzam and Aaron Boyd were distinguished as this year's Artists of the Year, while Nakeysha Roberts Washington and Symphony Swan-Zawadi were commemorated with the Friends of the Arts award.
Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs and Mayor Cavalier Johnson both extended their congratulations, with Johnson highlighting the arts' role in forging "a stronger, more connected city," and Coggs, proud of Milwaukee's arts being "a cornerstone of Milwaukee’s identity," working to shape and elevate its arts scene. In an honorable ceremony, scheduled on June 10 at the City Hall Rotunda, the awardees will receive their accolades alongside local arts organizations benefiting from MAB-sustaining grants.
Amal Azzam, whose artistic voice delves into the narratives of SWANA and Muslim communities, employs her practice as "tools for resistance, collective healing, and unapologetic self-expression," a sentiment resonant with her statement released to the city’s news platform. Aaron Boyd’s career, deeply rooted in Milwaukee, has him creating works such as "Valiant Vel Phillips and the Fight for Fairness and Equality", and cherishes the award as recognition from his "friends and neighbors".
Moving onto the Friends of the Arts honorees, Nakeysha Roberts Washington has had a far-reaching impact through Genre: Urban Arts, a platform fostering a rich community of creative minds globally. Symphony Swan-Zawadi’s THE CR8TV HOUSE, turning her childhood home into a creative community hub, has not only been nationally recognized but also supported by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. With the city's recognition, they champion Milwaukee's cultural dynamism and uplift the narratives that define their community.
Initiated back in 1995, the Artists of the Year Award was renamed in 2020 to honor the late, esteemed arts board member Mildred L. Harpole. The Friends of the Arts Award, on the other hand, introduced in 2012, celebrates those who serve the arts community with distinctive merit, often out of the public eye. With both awards, MAB persists in its mission to sustain and cultivate the city's artistic expression, supported in part by funding from the City of Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Arts Board, the State of Wisconsin, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
