Black Lives Matter – Cincinnati Street Mural
BACKGROUND: During the third week of June, 17 Cincinnati-based Black artists and 60+ assistants and volunteers of all ages and races worked together over several days to plan and create a Black Lives Matter mural on Plum Street directly in front of City Hall. A poem written by Alandes Powell, who spearheaded the effort, was a source of inspiration behind each letter’s design. All of the artists were assigned one letter (including the exclamation point) and tasked with painting their own vision. Cincinnati City Council approved an ordinance permitting the mural, and it was funded by the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio, ArtsWave, ArtWorks, and private donors, and will be in place on Plum Street for the next five years. The mural was unveiled on June 19th – Juneteenth.
Sources – highlighted in bold
I don’t have a drone, which is really necessary to show the mural in all it’s glory (either that or a Batman-like viewpoint from atop City Hall). So I did my best to capture the theme of each letter using my Nikon D750.
The Cincinnati Black Lives Matter mural is a beautiful work of art by a collective of talented artists. It’s humbling, challenging, educational, and inspirational and I encourage everyone to go and spend some time studying each letter. Let this motivate you to learn, listen, and take action.
