#BlackLivesMatter More Than Ever - May Art Enlighten Us and Inspire Engagement

George Floyd Memorial in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 

on the wall of Cup Food, site of his arrest and murder by police

We stayed home to save lives during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic (which is still active).  We left home to save lives by protesting in the streets for justice, following the murder in cold blood of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. Today each of us has been called upon to save lives through our individual actions. Together, each of us can contribute to the health and welfare of our brothers and sisters, at home and around the globe. We can start by supporting the movement #BlackLivesMatter.

Black Between Painting and History

by Naïl Ver-Ndoye and  Grégoire Fauconnier

To inspire you, the New York Arts Exchange presents a virtual exhibition of street murals dedicated to the memories of African Americans who were victims of racial bias and hatred. Their fates are linked to centuries of persecution, recorded in art. In their excellent and lavishly illustrated book Noir Entre Peinture et Histoire (Black Between Painting and History) Naïl Ver-Ndoye and Grégoire Fauconnier analyze the history of black people by category, laying bare the racist tropes that persist through the ages.

Here, as a postscript to their book, we present a few murals created to honor the men and women recently murdered by police and civilians. These public images offer a place to collectively mourn, reflect and resolve to end racism. We must never forget. 

George Floyd (1974-May 25, 2020)

Mural by Eme Freethinker  in Berlin (Picture Alliance/Nurphoto/© O. Messinger)

Trayvon Martin (February 5, 1995-February 26, 2012)

Mural by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh 2018 with Liberated Peoples. NYC

With @thelisaprojectnyc @liberatedpeople @paramountnetwork @thetrayvonmartinfoundation.

Michael Brown Jr. (May 20, 1996 - August 9  2014)

Michael Brown Jr. Memorial Mural 

Courtesy of Arcadia Publishing

Eric Garner (September 15, 1970 – July 17, 2014

Eric Garner and Michael Brown Jr. Memorial 

outside Spike Lee's studio in Fort Greene, Brooklyn

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

                                         Sandra Bland (February 7, 1987-July 13, 2015

Mural by Kalkidan Assefa and Allan Andre, in Ottawa, Canada

Ahmaud Arbery (May 8, 1994 - February 23, 2020)

Mural by Theo Ponchevli, in Dallas,on Friday, May 8, 2020.

The artist said that he was inspired to paint the mural after seeing the video of Arbery’s death on a news broadcast and learning that today would have been his birthday.

 Tony Gutierrez/AP

Here are other tributes on Instagram.

In peace and in solidarity, 

Beth

Beth S. Gersh-Neకić, Ph.D.

Director and owner

New York Arts Exchange

www.nyarts-exchange.com