There are two other Black Lives Matter street murals around the city of Bloomington that have been painted by different artists. Although these murals are not directed at any specific event in the Bloomington community, they are meant to contribute to the discussion on police brutality and racial inequality in the United States justice system. The local advisory council is thrilled to be involved with local artists focused on racial justice. According to the head of the local advisory council, “When we started this journey, we were mourning the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Now, we watch anxiously as the Chauvin trial is underway; and as if this isn’t enough, we are now grieving the loss of Daunte Wright. Coming together as a community to paint this mural is a powerful action that will also bring a bit of the consolation that we all need.”3 Overall, this street mural is a testament to the changing perceptions of race, authority, and discrimination in America and the importance of artists being activists.
Sources
“Black Lives Matter Street Mural, Bloomington, In.” George Floyd & Anti-Racist Street Art, https://georgefloydstreetart.omeka.net/items/show/3527.
Rodney Davis is a co-facilitator of the “All Black Lives Matter” mural, along with Funmi Aileru, and he also worked with several local artists on this project. Davis explained that the reason for this mural was because “there is a need to address the issues that are affecting black and brown lives here in our city, in our state, and in our country…So, this is an opportunity to invite this conversation” (Dumont, 2021). This mural, which is estimated to cost $10,000, was approved by the city and received funding from the Rhode Island School of Design and the non-profit College Unbound (Dumont, 2021). The mural had been in the works for over a year but had to be delayed due to a paint shortage. Rodney Davis worked with Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza for this event and used the mural as an official launch for the PVDFest, which is a city-run art festival. The mayor hopes the mural will bring up conversations about racial injustice. The ribbon-cutting ceremony and unveiling of the street mural was done on the weekend of Juneteenth.
Although this project was mostly well received, there was also some backlash from the Black Lives Matter Rhode Island organization. The organization wasn’t made aware of this mural, and they weren’t asked to be a part of this project. Mark Fischer, a member of the organization, called it a “slap in the face” (Dumont, 2021). Brother Gary Dantzler said this was all a miscommunication. “I feel honored that everyone is acknowledging the movement I started in Rhode Island, I feel good, it’s a miscommunication, we are going to get past that and work forward,” stated Dantzler (Doiron & LoSciuto, 2021). Rodney Davis responded and said “We didn’t do this because we’re angry. We are angry, but we didn’t create that with that energy. We used joy and love to be able to say that this is something that we want to be able to share and convey to our communities” (Dumont, 2021).
Sources
Doiron, S., & LoSciuto, S. (2021, June 4). Black lives matter mural being painted outside Kennedy Plaza. WPRI.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/providence/black-lives-matter-mural-being-painted-outside-kennedy-plaza/
Dumont, T. (2021, June 5). Artists add color to 'all black lives matter' street mural in downtown Providence. WJAR. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://turnto10.com/news/local/artists-add-color-to-all-black-lives-matter-street-mural-in-downtown-providence
Gomersall, J. (2021, June 6). Black lives matter street mural installed in Kennedy Plaza. WPRI.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/providence/black-lives-matter-street-mural-installed-in-kennedy-plaza/
Researched by Maya Carson
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