“I did the B!,” Kimisha Turner says of her place in the history of the Capitol Hill protest zone’s Black Lives Matter mural — on its way to being recreated in a new, more long-lasting manner this week just south of Cal Anderson Park.
Artists are busy now into the weekend remaking the artwork that became a symbol of the summer’s protests in Seattle. A stretch of dry, mostly sunny days will help after city crews removed the original paint from E Pine. CHS reported here on the plan worked out by the Seattle Department of Transportation and the artists who worked on the mural to recreate the work after a botched preservation attempt this summer.
“It was an amazing moment when it first happened and so much has happened in between then and now,” Turner said, adding that she is mostly “very grateful” to organizers and other artists involved for the opportunity to create a more enduring version of the work.
Takiyah Ward, who painted the double TT of Black Lives Matter, said the agreement with SDOT to create a permanent version of the mural was an exciting and happy development.
“We came out with just the strength of what this movement was,” she said. “We needed to do a thing. As artists, we needed to activate in our protest. We make art. That’s how we protest.”
Ward also wanted the record set straight on earlier CHS reporting on the project and make it clear that while Mayor Jenny Durkan might run the department, she was not involved in arriving at the plan for recreating the important landmark artwork.
Ward said the mural is also only part of demands still to be met by officials in response to the ongoing protests.
SDOT officials say the mural effort is planned for possible work into the weekend and will require E Pine street closures during the painting. The hope is for the work to be finished by Sunday.
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So another lane for cars is eliminated for murals. It won’t change hearts or minds.
It also is fine with no LOCAL, neighborhood input.
It’s superficial for sure. The real issues I think are to sensitive to even be addressed, despite everyone knowing what they are.
Are the letters going to be restored to the full color art or remain white block letters?
If full color exists for road durable paint, I’d like to see the full color art work like before (or maybe something more representational like in Minneapolis). However, I wasn’t involved in the decision making/activism, so I’m grateful our neighborhood has a (more) permanent Black Lives Matter street mural. Thanks to all the activists/organizers worked with city officials, TOD/city officials, and artist, who made his happen.
It’s going to be full color and will look more or less as it did originally. The white paint is just primer.
Agree. And what about parking? Have spaces been removed because there is now only one vehicle lane each way?
And more importantly – will we get the two transit stops back? It’s been hell without them for too many of us.