02/01/2024
**BIG JUICY MURAL UPDATE**
Greetings, People for Public Art supporters and family!
It's been 5 months since we began our campaign to repaint murals on the former Beauty Plus building, and we've got big news!
Thanks to you, we are nearing the completion of this massive triple mural, which we've lovingly titled "Gumbo Botanica". The name pays homage to the healing herbs and cooking traditions that have been passed down through generations to form New Orleans' unique culinary styles.
We are pushing to reach our fundraising goal by March 30th, which is the day of our mural dedication ceremony. Please join us to celebrate on Saturday, 3/30 at 3:30pm, behind the mural site on 1101 Elysian Fields Ave.
We have completed the entire St. Claude wall, the Young Artist Movement wall on Elysian Fields, and we are now completing the Elysian Fields parking lot wall. We should be finishing right on time for Mardi Gras!! The entire energy of the corner has shifted towards vibrant joy, as seen in the smiles on neighbors' faces when they walk by the artwork every day. Our painted garden is in full bloom, and features beautiful portraits of young artists that worked on the mural.
The scale of this project and the depth of intention/planning behind it is truly making a positive impact. Check out our "before" pics and behold the results!
- We've painted 4,964 square feet since September 1st!
- We have employed 15 artists (14 of them women) and paid out over $14,000 in fair wages
- We've woven together the visions of our 6 mural mentors and 9 youth artists into a magnificent collaborative masterpiece!
- We've extensively trained our youth cohort on digital illustration, mural design & planning, reference photography, traditional brush painting, color-mixing, aerosol paint, and job site professionalism
- We've trained 5 artists in polytab (mural cloth) installation techniques. (That's how we got those abstract watercolor triangles onto the wall)
- We invited guest muralists to visit and share their public art experiences with our youth artists on the job site. Big thanks to Marcus Akinlana, Gabriel Alexander Flowers, KR Hanrahan, and The Artist Jade for blessing us with your knowledge!
Attached are some photos of the focal points of the mural, but there is SO much more to see in-person. Please save the date for our dedication ceremony on March 30th and come celebrate this beautiful work of art that YOU have made possible! We appreciate you continuing to share our campaign for this last push in hopes that we can reach our goal right on time: https://gofund.me/08f85d9c
With our deepest gratitude,
Monica Rose Kelly and the artists of People for Public Art
