An artist, a pickup truck shielded by neon traffic cones, and an important message to the people of Milwaukee: Be the person you want to share the road with.
Artist Sarah Davitt’s pickup truck, decorated with traffic cones, is designed to raise awareness of the dangers of reckless driving in the Milwaukee area. The truck was unveiled at an event at Red Arrow Park on Wednesday.
The traveling art truck will be visiting six locations over the next two weeks. It moves around rather than staying in one place to emphasize that the problem of reckless driving in the city is not limited to one part of the city. It’s everywhere.
“It’s about showing a moving solution to a moving problem and making sure it’s visible in many places, not just at a single point of impact,” Davitt said.
The event came four months after Mayor Cavalier Johnson publicly spoke out about a reckless driving crash that left 4-year-old Zekani Hymes-Wilson dead and her mother injured. The driver, 30-year-old Donald Crayton, has since been charged with six felonies, online court records show.
“This is garbage, this is garbage, this is nonsense and this should not happen,” Johnson said after the child’s death.
Other recent examples include the death of 32-year-old Marcus Robinson, who was killed by a reckless driver on Water Street on Sunday. In June, an 18-year-old struck and killed a 33-year-old on Capitol Drive. In July, a Milwaukee County judge described a six-vehicle crash that caused a school bus to overturn and injured four people, including a 3-year-old and his mother, calling the crash “one of the worst” cases of reckless driving he has seen in his more than 20 years as a judge.
These deaths and injuries contribute to the 50 fatal crashes in Milwaukee this year, compared to 75 crashes last year, according to the Milwaukee Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit. According to the City of Milwaukee’s Traffic Violence Dashboard, there have been 2,013 non-fatal crashes so far this year, compared to 3,942 last year.
The project began when the Milwaukee Arts Board, in collaboration with the Department of City Development, launched the Public Artist in Residence Pilot Program.
The program calls for an artist to address pressing social issues. Davitt, who has been a community artist for 20 years, was the first artist selected to participate in the program.
Davitt said after talking with community members, one thing has become clear: reckless driving is a problem in Milwaukee and locals are concerned.
In 2024, Davitt completed “The Moving City,” a Ford Ranger pickup truck covered in traffic cones for community outreach. Davitt also used art to interact with the community by having custom reflective patches printed with safety messages.
“It shows that we are moving, that everything has a heartbeat and that we are all part of this contract of our streets and paths,” Davitt said in a press release.
Davitt said the hand-carved cones depict 50 places in Milwaukee where Davitt has been involved in the community and even spoken to locals about their safety concerns. The cones feature artwork with statements such as “Seatbelts keep you inside.”
“The people who use the roads as drivers have been missing from this conversation,” Davitt said. “I hope this starts a conversation that sparks curiosity.”
Johnson thanked Davitt for her commitment to the city and surprised her with a mayoral proclamation.
“You are not the only person who lives here,” Johnson said. “You should not have to be afraid to drive on the roads just because someone makes the foolish decision to drive recklessly on the roads of this community.”
If you would like to see the art exhibition:
- Wednesday, August 14: Heart(beats) of the City at Red Arrow Park, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Milwaukee Night Market at Vel R. Phillips Plaza
- Thursday, August 15: 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Skate Night at MMSD West Basin, 4350 N. 35th St.
- Saturday, August 17: 11am to 7pm at Center Street Daze between Holton and Humboldt
- Wednesday, August 21: 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Summer of Soul at the Marcus Performing Arts Center
- Saturday, August 24: 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Run Back to School at the MPS Central Services Building, 5225 W. Vliet St.
- Wednesday, August 28: 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in Washington Park Wednesday Concert Series
For more information on exhibitions and upcoming events, visit the City of Milwaukee’s events calendar.
