Artists find space to express selves on Black Lives Matter

One of the major movements of 2020 has been Black Lives Matter. And an open canvas for creative Black artists has been provided at Westfield Broward Mall in Plantation.

Zero Empty Spaces, which creates affordable artist studios in vacant spaces, collaborated with Westfield to make space in the mall to display images that reflect the burgeoning movement.

The artwork is on display on a huge wall near the food court — a major thoroughfare for shoppers at the mall. What the viewer will notice is the variety of artistic styles, as well as the clarity of the message in the art.

Six artists were chosen to represent the artistic voices for Black Lives Matter. A competition was announced in which artists needed to apply to be a part of the exhibit.

What inspired Westfield Broward to take on the Black Lives Matter art exhibit?

“As a company and member of the local community, we felt the Westfield Broward art gallery provided an excellent platform for the ‘Black Voices’ exhibit,” said Paul Sabina, vice president of marketing at Westfield. “We wanted to offer local artists a forum to reflect on what the Black Lives Matters movement means to them personally, as well as give local community members an opportunity to continue the broader conversation.”

Sabina said that a partnership with Zero Empty Spaces to use Westfield Broward’s art gallery as a platform for local artists is well-aligned with their company’s commitment to bring art out of the exclusive domain of the museum and bring it into public community spaces.

Zero Empty Spaces was re

Michael Hugue is exhibiting at the Westfield Broward art gallery.