On a recent return visit to this year’s BedStuy Walls Mural Festival, I came upon more than a dozen endearing new murals that we hadn’t been able to capture earlier. Featured above is Pittsburgh-based Ashley Hodder’s stunning portrait of the multifaceted trailblaizer Queen Latifah. Several more images from this hugely successful festival, founded and curated by Miki Mu and Frankie Velez,follow:
As COVID-19 was raging back in 2020, Dripped On The Road, a traveling artist residency program, brought 14 murals to Indiana, Pennsylvania. Within two weeks, the artists transformed the town’s visual landscape, while embracing and uplifting its residents. In the course of their remarkable residency, they learned first-hand about Indiana’s distinct history and painted murals that utterly reflected it.
Not only did the seven artists uplift the town’s spirit and enhance its appearance, but they also conducted workshops with youth using non-toxic spray paint and upcycled materials. And they planted trees that “will live on even after the murals are gone.” Sustainable painting practices and environmental responsibility are essential, the documentary affirms, to Dripped On The Road‘s mission. We are cautioned that one needs to be mindful of the environment when painting public art.
“Small Town Big Canvas: An Indiana, PA Story” brilliantly captures the mutual respect and appreciation that developed between the artists and the members of the Indiana community as the project evolved. The artists clearly “felt the pulse of the people,” and the Indiana residents showered them with gratitude in return.
Founded in 2016, Dripped On The Road artists have have painted over 100 murals and traveled over 12,000 miles.“Small Town Big Canvas: An Indiana, PA Story” is a moving, impressive ode to its multiple missions and a particular paean to this distinctly vital project. It is also a model for public art that too often becomes too commercial.
