It’s no surprise that a neighborhood’s murals often reflect the needs of the community. In an area where residents’ basic needs and rights are comfortably secure, you might find street art featuring aesthetic content. In a district where residents are concerned about their voting rights, you might find murals reminding everyone to vote in the next election. The neighborhoods surrounding Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard fall into the latter category.
Rev. Ralph David Abernathy Sr. was president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and was instrumental in organizing the Montgomery bus boycott. The street that bears his name starts at Westview Cemetery and continues through an underserved corridor including Westview, West End, Adair Park and Mechanicsville. The murals along this thoroughfare are mostly intended to represent the local residents, to present role models for youth, to inspire those in need, and to highlight pressing social issues.
Credit: Arthur Rudick
Credit: Arthur Rudick
Starting in Westview, we found a grouping of four artworks by Fabian Williams at the intersection with Inman Street. First, Reverend Raphael Warnock’s smiling countenance reminded residents to vote. Next, we find the artist’s portrait of C.T. Vivian based on a police mug shot following his arrest as a freedom rider for using a whites only restroom in Jackson, Mississippi.
Credit: Arthur Rudick
Credit: Arthur Rudick
Then, Williams gives us a powerful image of Ahmaud Arbery, running. Finally, as part of an Atlanta United Football Club mural project, Williams depicts community trailblazers Jay Carter and Oronike Odeleye, founder and director of One Music Fest respectively.
Moving into the West End neighborhood, we encountered a colorful mural by Neka King titled “What’s Your Service?” at the Grady Place intersection. Community members chose the content of the mural, which memorializes civil rights leaders Vivian, John Lewis and Joseph E. Lowery, all of whom died in 2020.
This mural was made possible through the efforts of arts activist Sumayyah Ali (formerly Ash Nash), community business leader Leon Goodrum and the Straight to Tell creative studio. In the artist’s words: “It was a really beautiful thing to have community members and Reverend C.T. Vivian’s family members come out in support of the mural. It speaks to the power of public art and its ability to bring us together.”
In 2017, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was kicked out of the National Football League for kneeling during the national anthem to protest oppression of people of color. In 2019, two days before the Super Bowl was to be played in Atlanta, a building with a mural of Kaepernick, painted by Williams, was demolished. In reaction, Williams worked with Ali to organize the Kaeperbowl in which nine artists painted murals of Kaepernick all over the city.
Ali said she wanted to send a response to whoever destroyed the building. “Artists and underserved communities will not tolerate such cultural and intellectual property violations. It was also significant because it was my concept. Black women have historically been the architects, organizers, generals and driving forces to add structure and impact to social movements.”
Credit: Arthur Rudick
Credit: Arthur Rudick
She was excited that so many community members turned Kaeperbowl into “a citywide hunt.” At the Peeples Street intersection, Williams depicted Kaepernick as the martyred Saint Sebastian, and a few steps off Abernathy on Evans Street, Nels Guzman (who was killed in a hit-and-run accident in 2020) showed the quarterback gazing heavenward like a saint in a Renaissance painting.
At 884 Abernathy, Ashley Dopson’s 150 foot long mural titled “HERstory” graces the side of the Goodwill building. Created for Elevate Atlanta, this monumental work highlights the unsung women of the civil rights movement. “My philosophy in art is that people need to shine who don’t get to shine,” Dopson says. “No shade to the people who shine but . . . " if we want to solve some of the bigger issues, it’s important to honor some of the lesser known people who work hard every day.
Over 50 girls and women between the ages of five and 65 volunteered to help paint the mural. It was supposed to be a one-day project, but the eager artists kept coming back.
Ashley taught her young assistants some art skills — she has a day job as an art teacher — along with the history of the women they were painting, for example: Lottie Watkins, Atlanta’s first African American woman licensed as a real estate agent.
Credit: Arthur Rudick
Credit: Arthur Rudick
Continuing eastward, the western wall of the Mall West End features Joseph McKinney’s contribution to Elevate Atlanta 2020. This mural was painted during the frightening pre-vaccine days of the pandemic. It honors the brave first responders who put their own lives at risk to keep the rest of us safe. McKinney says the mural was commissioned by the City of Atlanta and nine international consulates (Belgium, Switzerland, Bahamas, Canada, Republic of Korea, Germany, Japan, Israel and Haiti).
Wrapping up our tour on Lee Street, a short walk south from the boulevard takes you to street art by Courtney Brooks, which originally included an election reminder. In an Instagram post the artist said that “Believe in your Power” was designed to inspire joy and “soul care” and also to encourage the community to vote in the 2021 Georgia runoff elections. “This space is special to me because it reminds me of where I grew up in Denver before gentrification. I see familiar faces and feel the energy. Black culture is lit,” she wrote.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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ArtsATL (www.artsatl.org), is a nonprofit organization that plays a critical role in educating and informing audiences about metro Atlanta’s arts and culture. Founded in 2009, ArtsATL’s goal is to help build a sustainable arts community contributing to the economic and cultural health of the city.
If you have any questions about this partnership or others, please contact Senior Manager of Partnerships Nicole Williams at nicole.williams@ajc.com.
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