Cincinnati's Black Lives Matter street mural outside City Hall received a fourth refresh, with artists working on Plum Street on a sunny October Wednesday, Signal Cincinnati reported. The source said the temperature was 78 degrees and that the weather was the best among the project's four painting events, which had previously included rain and severe heat.
According to the report, 17 artists with the Black Art Speaks collective each designed a letter. Their themes covered joy, struggle, forgiveness, camaraderie and other parts of the Black experience. The source says the refreshed mural was unveiled Thursday, just before the Blink light and arts festival.
The source states the mural began in 2020 after George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, but says that event was not the inspiration for the artwork's message. Alandes Powell, identified as Black Arts Speaks president and CEO, wrote a poem behind the concept. The report says the letters share personal stories rather than a political statement.
Sharon Smith, who also uses the professional name Sharon Dewon, led and managed the project and designed the second T, centered on legacy. Her text calls for rejecting hatred, oppression, inequality and systemic barriers, and includes a father passing a sign to his son plus people joining hands over a sun emerging from storm clouds.
Madison Scruggs, a 16-year-old Walnut Hills High School student, was the youngest participant. Her L design addressed forgiveness, using images such as a finger on a trigger, grinding teeth and a grieving woman. Quinn Battiste, involved since 2020, designed the E about change. The report says his letter traces Black history from Olmec sculptures and pyramids through racial violence, speeches and protests to a superhero.