Sholo Beverly, one of the artists, works in mixed media. They are inspired by the organic shapes in nature and the visual stimulation of the female body and energy. With a concentration in mixed media, Sholo is a vessel of intuitive creations. ]]>
The Black Lives Matter mural in Evanston, IL, is among the 250 BLM murals in the United States. While information is unclear, the mural was most likely sanctioned because it was created on non-government property. According to Stephen Larrick in the Black Lives Matter Street Mural Census, The Evanston Art Center organized and sponsored the piece in their private parking lot. Sholo Bererly was the lead artist in the creation of this piece and used her mixed media approach when designing. In an interview between the Evanston Art Center and Beverly, she stated “I am a fashion junkie for textiles of patterns, and creating utopia environments visuals art”. This can be seen in the piece’s mosaic lettering. Each letter has a unique design and coloring, and the word ‘love’ appears in the letter B. Baz Cumberbatch, Blanca Cortes, David Johnson-Niari, Ziana Pearson-Muller (Z) and Grant Rogers are among the other artists who contributed to this mural.  

There is no clear information on the mural’s current condition. The information posted by the Evanston Art Center and new articles have not been updated since the mural’s creation. Evanston Art Center did not respond to a request for an update. While it is uncertain, based on Google Earth maps, the mural seems to have been removed.  

According to Catherine Buchaniec of the Daily Northwestern, like many in cities throughout the United States, residents of Evanston rallied together to protest against police brutality and for Black Lives Matter following the death of George Floyd. Students at Northwestern University also protested in Evanston. In addition, the creation of the mural in a private parking lot was significant because it took away the chances of it being removed by the government. Moreover, other street murals were dedicated to Black Lives Matter in Evanston. Karie Angell Luc and Genevieve Bookwalter of the Chicago Tribune report that a BLM mural created by the Evanston High School boy’s basketball team was defaced in July 2020. 

Sources

https://georgefloydstreetart.omeka.net/items/show/3392Links to an external site. 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-5U-UDOFnsPdi0lu3mKNCbcySoD5LXcPOU6is5_8KD4/edit#gid=0Links to an external site. 

https://www.evanstonartcenter.org/black-lives-matterLinks to an external site. 

https://dailynorthwestern.com/2020/06/01/city/evanston-residents-join-national-police-brutality-protests-following-george-floyd-death/Links to an external site. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/evanston/ct-evr-evanston-black-lives-matter-street-tl-0709-20200706-rbreufgwbjfvpe2imw2ytgvn34-story.htmlLinks to an external site. 

Researched by Kaitlyn Juni


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News Coverage by Dear Evanston and Evanston Round Table]]>
2020-06-28]]>
Photographer: Patrick Hughes]]>
Black Lives Matter Street Mural Census]]>

With help from their coaches and approval from the city, the players spent July 3 painting “Black Lives Matter” in large yellow letters onto Dodge Avenue in front of their school. The effort was aided by alumni players and volunteers who lent their art expertise.]]>
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News Coverage by Chicago Tribune]]>
2020-07-03]]>
Photographer: Erin Hooley from Chicago Tribune]]>
Black Lives Matter Street Mural Census]]>