BLM Art Is Saved for History

Marcus Gould drove his son to the National Capitol to protest the death of George Floyd. They were among thousands of people demanding an end to racism, this was two years ago. Recently, Gould and his son walked towards a tall metal fence of the White House covered in a variety of artwork. At that moment, Gould was quite moved and admired the art history for the world to see. He felt very proud and inspired to be a part of something much bigger. Later he returned to D.C. where he walked up to the fence carrying his own BLM artwork.

He looped zip ties through the corners of his piece, fastening it to the fence. He figured it would show off his artwork until authorities came through throwing everything away. However,  people saved Gould’s banner along with many other artists’ art.

Let’s Meet the Artists Behind the Glorious BLM Artwork

At Foley Square, the street painting is very similar to the word choice with the placement. However, the national debate has lost some of the art through political statements. Making the intentional placement, logical care, and artistry creation. Naimah Thomas painted a portrait of Breonna Taylor. Police officers shot Taylor several times and killed her in her own home.

Next, Teddy Phillips did a portrait of George Floyd. After Floyd yelled he couldn’t breathe due to the police officer pinning Floyd to the ground with his knee to his neck. Shortly after that, he stopped moving confirming that his death was final. Lastly, Dani Coke and Jill Cartwright are very passionate to display their message and spreading the wicked reality. They chose their words carefully before adding them to their artwork.

Discrimination is still active, most people that aren’t of color refuse to break the stereotype. Assuming all Black people are loud, obnoxious, and rude. When that’s far from the truth, everyone has a voice and that’s a fact. The BLM community is just simply exhausted from being hushed. Today, they are not afraid to speak the word: “Black Lives Matter!”

Police officers, who swore to protect and serve, are taking away the lives of many young Black lives. Was it a lie? Why did they promise to protect and serve us if they’ll just kill us?

Gould, a 45-year-old citizen from Jersey City, is also an artist who stated: “There was no way I thought it would still be in existence. It’s out there for the world to enjoy.” His brilliant masterpiece has been on the Black Lives Matters Memorial fence since two years ago.

Bringing Color to History

Gould continues to make history his art was published in an online collection, at the Dig DC Public Library. D.C. Library protested against racism and police brutality, as thousands of angry people in grief place their art on the BLM Memorial Fence.

On the BLM posters are painted flags, face masks, shields, and people who were killed by police officers. There were also signs demanding to count every vote, canceling the rent, to advocate for social justice and fundamental human rights.

This leads to the co-founder of BLM, Patrisse Khan-Cullors a 37-year-old who bought four homes worth $3.2 million in the Bahamas. One of which is the ultra-exclusive resort, where Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake both live. Khan-Cullors and her partner Janaya Khan eventually moved to Georgia to buy their fourth house last year.

Small business owners made an appearance on the news in Harlem. The organization called ‘Harlem Park to Park’ discussed their version of what BLM artwork will look like. Also in Manhattan, many local artists intended to use this opportunity to discuss policing, race, and community togetherness.

Written by Tiffany Fleming
Sources:
The Washington Post: A White House fence’s Black Lives Matter art has been saved for history by Ellie Silverman
The New York Times: The ‘Black Lives Matters’ Street Art That Contains Multitudes by Julia Jacobs
Insider: Meet the artists behind the powerful Black Lives Matters artwork being shared across social media by Monica Humphries
New York Post: Inside BLM co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors’ million-dollar real estate buying binge by Isabel Vincent

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Duncan Cumming’s Flickr page – Creative Commons License
Inset image Courtesy of Thomas Elliott’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License