Murals at Victoria Theater and Ryan Plumbing
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The Artists:
Thomasina Topbear (@tomierae) - interview spokesperson Maria Robinson (@maria_epiphany) Grover Hogan (@spourmo) Maiya Lea Hartman (@maiyaLeaArt) Chineze Okolo Winfrey Oenga (@winnieoenga) Holly Miskitoos Henning Ghor Bayou (@dtdesigntc) Alex Smith Gene Okok Charles Garcia Hibaaq Ibrahim (@moonjuiceart) Galadriel Ingram (@gchild_theartist) AND community members like you! |
During the uprisings of 2020 artists and activists gathered to turn the plywood that had sprung up around the Twin Cities into beautiful, meaningful, and necessary works of art. City Mischief, Creatives After Curfew, and VTAC came together to create a permanent space for these murals.
In September of 2020, the three groups collaborated to hold a mural making workshop. While the main event was the creation of 12 mini murals, Public Functionary provided a DJ, and part of the event was a food donation drive for Feeding Frogtown.
Thomasina Topbear of City Mischief said she was inspired by the old wall at Intermedia Arts. She wanted to “recreate a space where people could do their own murals next to each other.” Each artist had an eight-by-ten foot space to paint, and spent the weekend working alongside each other to create a combined 160-foot long piece about community, love, cooperation, culture, and healing.
Topbear’s rectangle is about missing and murdered indigenous women. “Murals are important,” says Topbear. “I wanted to provide resources where people could learn or where people who are dealing with these issues in their lives could go, so I provided 2 different websites on the mural so people could reach out for information or to seek help.”
Topbear would eventually like to find funds to fill in the top part of the wall with murals. “Murals play an important tool to bring up issues and to start conversations that need to be had,” she says, adding, “For the people painting those murals, art is very therapeutic and healing… You’re doing something that is holistic for yourself and people definitely feel that. I feel like that’s what draws people to community murals. Every neighborhood deserves a mural, especially Frogtown.”
Learn more: City Mischeif — https://www.instagram.com/citymischief/
Creaters after Curfew -- https://creativesaftercurfew.com/
https://www.instagram.com/creativesaftercurfew/
In September of 2020, the three groups collaborated to hold a mural making workshop. While the main event was the creation of 12 mini murals, Public Functionary provided a DJ, and part of the event was a food donation drive for Feeding Frogtown.
Thomasina Topbear of City Mischief said she was inspired by the old wall at Intermedia Arts. She wanted to “recreate a space where people could do their own murals next to each other.” Each artist had an eight-by-ten foot space to paint, and spent the weekend working alongside each other to create a combined 160-foot long piece about community, love, cooperation, culture, and healing.
Topbear’s rectangle is about missing and murdered indigenous women. “Murals are important,” says Topbear. “I wanted to provide resources where people could learn or where people who are dealing with these issues in their lives could go, so I provided 2 different websites on the mural so people could reach out for information or to seek help.”
Topbear would eventually like to find funds to fill in the top part of the wall with murals. “Murals play an important tool to bring up issues and to start conversations that need to be had,” she says, adding, “For the people painting those murals, art is very therapeutic and healing… You’re doing something that is holistic for yourself and people definitely feel that. I feel like that’s what draws people to community murals. Every neighborhood deserves a mural, especially Frogtown.”
Learn more: City Mischeif — https://www.instagram.com/citymischief/
Creaters after Curfew -- https://creativesaftercurfew.com/
https://www.instagram.com/creativesaftercurfew/