NEW YORK • The first word, black, was designed by Tijay Mohammed, a Ghanaian-born artist, and used vibrant Kente fabric design and Adinkra symbols, which represent concepts such as royalty, unity and legacy.
Sophia Dawson, a Brooklyn-based visual artist, took the second word, lives.
The "L" contains the faces of the mothers who have lost their children to police killings. The "I" uses imagery inspired by Emory Douglas, an artist for the Black Panther Party; the "V" highlights the culture of the African diaspora; the "E" depicts faces of Black Panther Party members in prison; and the "S" carries a passage from the Bible.
The street painting at New York City's Foley Square resembles many that have been done around the country in its word choice and placement.
However, part of what has been lost in the national debate over the art and the political statements they make is the logistical care, intentional placement and artistry that went into their creation.
While some such as those at Trump Tower and near the White House are primarily stencil work in the blazing yellow paint typically used for road markings, and are known largely for their challenging placement, others have been fully realised works of art that went through rigorous processes of design and planning.
This month, the Foley Square street art in Lower Manhattan and the one in Harlem were unveiled, with the multicoloured letters of Black Lives Matter replete with imagery related to black people who were killed by the police, as well as vibrant symbols of freedom, hope and joy.
In Cincinnati, the art appears in the red, black and green of the Pan-African flag, with silhouettes, phrases and textured designs filling the letters. In Jackson, Michigan, it was designed in a graffiti-style font. In Portland, Oregon, the letters contained a timeline of historical injustices in the state.
The purpose of the Fifth Avenue project at Trump Tower was clear: to rile up the president, who called it a "symbol of hate". The other artworks in Manhattan were intended not as political statements meant for President Donald Trump to see, but as an opportunity for local artists, community togetherness, and discussions about race and policing.
The outlines of the enlarged "Black Lives Matter" letters are filled with intentionally placed symbols and colours.
"I wanted the design to embody our experience as a whole as a black community and what we strive for," said Patrice Payne, one of the artists involved with the Foley Square work.
It happened to be a work near the White House, spearheaded by the mayor of Washington, Ms Muriel Bowser, that set the groundwork for the countrywide spilling of paint on the ground.
There was a certain expectation that Harlem, known as the epicentre of black culture, needed to take the trend a level up, said Ms Nikoa Evans-Hendricks, the executive director of Harlem Park to Park, an organisation representing small-business owners in Harlem.
The result was two sprawling sets of words on both sides of Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard, between 125th and 127th Streets.
The artists were chosen by Mr LeRone Wilson, the artwork's curator, who painted within the "L" the names of 24 black people killed by the police, including Mr George Floyd.
Within the outlines of other letters, the artists painted images associated with the outrage over the police's treatmRead More – Source
NEW YORK • The first word, black, was designed by Tijay Mohammed, a Ghanaian-born artist, and used vibrant Kente fabric design and Adinkra symbols, which represent concepts such as royalty, unity and legacy.
Sophia Dawson, a Brooklyn-based visual artist, took the second word, lives.
The "L" contains the faces of the mothers who have lost their children to police killings. The "I" uses imagery inspired by Emory Douglas, an artist for the Black Panther Party; the "V" highlights the culture of the African diaspora; the "E" depicts faces of Black Panther Party members in prison; and the "S" carries a passage from the Bible.
The street painting at New York City's Foley Square resembles many that have been done around the country in its word choice and placement.
However, part of what has been lost in the national debate over the art and the political statements they make is the logistical care, intentional placement and artistry that went into their creation.
While some such as those at Trump Tower and near the White House are primarily stencil work in the blazing yellow paint typically used for road markings, and are known largely for their challenging placement, others have been fully realised works of art that went through rigorous processes of design and planning.
This month, the Foley Square street art in Lower Manhattan and the one in Harlem were unveiled, with the multicoloured letters of Black Lives Matter replete with imagery related to black people who were killed by the police, as well as vibrant symbols of freedom, hope and joy.
In Cincinnati, the art appears in the red, black and green of the Pan-African flag, with silhouettes, phrases and textured designs filling the letters. In Jackson, Michigan, it was designed in a graffiti-style font. In Portland, Oregon, the letters contained a timeline of historical injustices in the state.
The purpose of the Fifth Avenue project at Trump Tower was clear: to rile up the president, who called it a "symbol of hate". The other artworks in Manhattan were intended not as political statements meant for President Donald Trump to see, but as an opportunity for local artists, community togetherness, and discussions about race and policing.
The outlines of the enlarged "Black Lives Matter" letters are filled with intentionally placed symbols and colours.
"I wanted the design to embody our experience as a whole as a black community and what we strive for," said Patrice Payne, one of the artists involved with the Foley Square work.
It happened to be a work near the White House, spearheaded by the mayor of Washington, Ms Muriel Bowser, that set the groundwork for the countrywide spilling of paint on the ground.
There was a certain expectation that Harlem, known as the epicentre of black culture, needed to take the trend a level up, said Ms Nikoa Evans-Hendricks, the executive director of Harlem Park to Park, an organisation representing small-business owners in Harlem.
The result was two sprawling sets of words on both sides of Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard, between 125th and 127th Streets.
The artists were chosen by Mr LeRone Wilson, the artwork's curator, who painted within the "L" the names of 24 black people killed by the police, including Mr George Floyd.
Within the outlines of other letters, the artists painted images associated with the outrage over the police's treatmRead More – Source
