Infinite Vapor Floyd the Lion
George Perry Floyd (October 14, 1973 - May 25, 2020) was a 46-year-old Black American man who was murdered by former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin after Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly 9 minutes in the Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2020. Floyd’s murder sparked an international movement for Black Lives Matter, the largest civil rights movement of the century. On March 12, 2021, the city of Minneapolis agreed to pay $27 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Floyd's family. On June 25, 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for his crimes.
Cartoon-like half portrait of George Floyd and a lion. Floral elements featuring a sunflower and various green foliage. Text reads "Stronger Together"
Artists: @sig.natur
Urban Art Mapping Research Project
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=40&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2020-06-07">2020-06-07</a>
CU
posted on Instagram by @minneapolismurals
Artists: @sig.natur
UAM-GF_0727
1400 Lagoon Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Lion HeART II
A collective from the A-Loft Art Lofts and Lisa Hey Skildum painted murals along Saint Anthony Main, including Maridee Slater, Meg Neuville, and Shade Pratt. The lion pays homage to the optometrist who gave the group permission to paint. The artist repeated the message, "SEE ME. HEAR ME. BELIEVE ME," to continue to bring credibility to the black narrative as well as a space to reflect what white solidarity looks and sounds like.
Lisa Hey Skildum @LHS_Heart
Look & See Eye Care on Saint Anthony Main; As of November 2020, located in collective storage facility at A-Lofts.
Urban Art Mapping Research Project
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=40&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2020-06-09">2020-06-09</a>
HS
Lisa Hey Skildum
MN
UAM-GF_0164
225 SE Main St
Lion HeART: See Me. Hear Me. Believe Me.
The face of a lion covering previous tags. Text on the lion's face reads "SEE ME/HEAR ME/BELIEVE ME."
Lisa Hey Skildum
See <a href="https://georgefloydstreetart.omeka.net/items/show/153">#153</a>
Urban Art Mapping Research Project
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=40&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2020-06-14">2020-06-14</a>
SE
Photographer: Froukje Akkerman
Artist: Lisa Hey Skildum
UAM-GF_1089
2100 East Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Lion HeART: See Me. Hear Me. Believe Me.
The face of a lion painted over a wall that had been previously tagged. The lion's mane incorporates some of the tagging. Text on the lion's face reads "SEE ME/HEAR ME/BELIEVE ME"
Lisa Hey Skildum @LHS_Heart
Located at the Aldi on Lake Street. Context submitted by the artist: "Dr. Pamela Ayo Yetunde, Buddhist-Christian activist and pastoral counselor, asked a poignant question at a student gathering at United Seminary a week after George Floyd was murdered. In the 9-minute video, Floyd said over and over again that he couldn't breathe. Yet, the cops chose not to believe him. Dr. Ayo asked United students, "How can we believe what YOU say is true?" She argues that for too long, our nation has dismissed the black voice into a narrative that no longer regards it as credible. We need to retrain ourselves, dismantle the systematic racism, and recognize what we see and hear as truth." Also from the artist: "As I was painting, a number of people asked me, "Why a lion? Why these words on his cheeks?" At a student gathering at United Theological Seminary last week, Dr. Ayo Yetunde asked a poignant question, "How can we believe that whatever you say is true?" She contends that the black narrative in our country has long been deemed incredible and unbelievable. Throughout my teaching career, I've seen my own students raise their voices, declaring their innocence, only to get in even more trouble for being disruptive. By age 11 and 12, many students are used to not being believed. My hope is that the lion, a long standing symbol of power and strength in my own artwork, bring societal credibility to the black voice so that when a man says he can't breathe, he is believed." See also <a href="https://georgefloydstreetart.omeka.net/items/show/1089">#1089</a><br /><br />As of November 2020, the artist reports that this has been preserved on the side of the building.
Urban Art Mapping Project
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=40&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2020-06-07">2020-06-07</a>
HS
Lisa Hey Skildum
Minnesota
UAM-GF_0153
2100 East Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN, USA