Adrian Hammond and Maurise Walker, owners of the Boil & Roux restaurant funded the project in the parking lot of their restaurant. ]]>
This mural creation was organized by a local artist named Kristen Downing. The creation included a collaboration between 16 volunteer artists from Louisiana. The mural came about in July 2020, after the nationwide protests after the murder of George Floyd. It is located in the Boil and Roux parking lot, which is a Restaurant & Bar in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Originally, the artists wanted to create it in front of the Louisiana State Capitol but failed to get space. The restaurant’s owner heard about this and let the artists paint on his property. The owner also funded the artists and provided food and supplies. 

After the mural’s creation, a ceremony was held to unveil the mural to the community. Since its creation, its location has also been used for various Black Lives Matter events and protests. It is even known to be an attraction site for visiting tourists. The mural is still visible today and has become a place of pride for the local community. 

The creation of the mural took place over the 4th of July weekend and spans across a large portion of the parking lot. Each of the 16 artists worked on a letter or symbol and they were given the freedom to create it through their own vision. It was created by using things such as paint, stencils, and spray paint. The mural spells out “Black Lives Matter” with each letter having its own unique design. For example, the letter “S” has the words “Stop Killing Us” in it. 

Sources: 

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/multimedia/photos/collection_79608fb0-c5fc-11ea-8f04-0baaab6ad77f.html#2 

https://www.225batonrouge.com/our-city/louisiana-artists-came-together-give-baton-rouge-black-lives-matter-mural 

https://www.brproud.com/news/local-news/baton-rouge-artists-create-unique-black-lives-matter-mural/ 

Researched by Luke Evenson

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News Coverage by The Advocate and 225 Magazine]]>
2020-07-05]]>
Photographer: John Ballance]]>
Black Lives Matter Street Mural Census]]>