Client: Danny Lyon Foundation, Uptown United, Louisville Visual Arts

Overview

Large Outdoor Hand Painted Murals of Historical Photographs. The I AM Series was created in response to the productive artistic energy of 2020. The series was provoked by civil unrest, the global pandemic and political chasms that were stirred during the heights of Covid-19, the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and many other African Americans at the hands of police brutality.

Goals

The manifestation of this particular project was commissioned by the communities that supported but was ready-made in the sense of design. Yes, our team designed the murals placements and curated how they would be presented, but because they are unedited visual photographs we did not damage the work which are snapshots of time. The placement as a commission was important because it informed the impact and how many viewers that it would reach. We were very deliberate with which pieces were displayed on these sets of walls and were continuously asking if it was "the correct work or placement" for the wall.

Process

The collaborative process was two fold. Our group collaborated with the photographer of the original images. Gaining the photographers trust was paramount in exhibiting how visual artists of different practices can work successfully in the same space by uplifting one another. Additionally, as a group of painters, the selflessness of each person executing the painting helped to make each piece seamless in how our technique overlaps. The greater purpose is to make the entire piece cohesive and that requires a practice of profound trust.

Additional Information

This project was very important for my career, the careers of my peers that co-painted and the communities that the murals were completed in. This was the opportunity of a lifetime and I am still overjoyed by the feedback coming from young artists that aspire to be community muralists in their own communities.