Self Portraits: The Impactful Story Behind Wellpoint Care Network Paintings
Three pieces of art are proudly displayed in the Training Center of Wellpoint Care Network’s campus. And, the story behind them is a powerful one.
The oil paintings, titled “Self Portraits,” were originally created in 2018.
“We commissioned artists from Express Yourself Milwaukee to work with youth who were residing at the Juvenile Detention Center to create some art for the ‘Healing Trauma, Healthy Communities Conference’ that we were sponsoring,” said Ann Leinfelder Grove, Wellpoint Care Network President and CEO. “They displayed beautifully on the main stage of the conference, where 1,300 people came from around the country to learn about Trauma Informed Care and exchange ideas.”
The three murals are titled “Self Portraits,” and they portray actual youth that were working with the artists from Express Yourself Milwaukee in summer of 2018. The artists guided the youth in an introspective creative process to design and then paint these images.
“They’re beautiful — the images, the emotion reflected in the faces and the power of the fact that they’re all holding a mask and what that might mean for their self-image or self-portrait,” added Leinfelder Grove. “We were wowed when we first saw them.”
“When you take the time to pause and reflect, you will see and even hear the authentic voices of Milwaukee youth. Through these ‘Self Portraits,’ the youth artists call us into community and towards healing and hope.”
After the conference was complete, Leinfelder Grove knew the paintings had to live on.
“I worked for a number of months trying to donate them to the Vel R. Phillips Youth & Family Justice Center,” she said. “A) because it’s a bit of an institutional place and B) because the youth that made those murals would have gone through the Court Center as a part of their system involvement. So, it seemed like the perfect thing.”
“In the end, it got too complicated. It’s hard to donate something of value to a government entity. There are insurance requirements, indemnity liability issues, etc. After lots of trying, it just seemed like it wasn’t meant to be.”
Then in 2019, Leinfelder Grove got the idea that the paintings could be the anchor pieces for Wellpoint Care Network’s new Training Center, a central piece of the ongoing campus transformation project.
Much of Wellpoint Care’s in-person Trauma Informed Care training takes place in this location, so it seemed fitting given the original intent of the pieces.
“When we were imagining what the Training Center would look like and were selecting all of the furnishings and design finishes, the murals were a perfect addition.”
The Training Center officially opened in early 2020.
“We had one very large supervisors meeting in early March of 2020,” said Leinfelder Grove. “That was the first unveiling of the new space and the murals. Shortly thereafter, we shut down for quite some time due to COVID-19.”
Now that the building has reopened to visitors and guests, many will comment on the beauty of the paintings.
“Many times, when we host outside guests or outside events, people are super curious — What are those? Where did they come from? And, when we tell the story, they’re even more dazzled,” added Leinfelder Grove.
Moving forward, the story behind the “Self Portraits” paintings will be one spread far and wide.
“We’ve made the commitment when we are convening outside guests, as the meeting or the event starts, we’ll read the story of the murals out of respect for the youth artists who made them and out of regard for our mission and organizational approach to Trauma Informed Care.”
Future plans include adding protectors around the murals for safe-keeping and longevity.
“Looking back, I’m really glad that it worked out the way it did, because just as much as the murals would have been a positive influence at Children’s Court, they are equally so in our facility, too,” added Leinfelder Grove. “They’re also a powerful symbol of our mission and work.”
