Black Love, on display at a site of protest
On the 14th Street side of Civic Center park, Vincent Gordon stepped back to observe his mural. At the center of a piece of black plywood was an image of a protester raising his fist, outlined in dripping red hearts, holding a sign that reads, “Love.”
“I’m trying to get a common thread through all of these discussions that are happening,” Gordon said. “Love is the one thing.”
Gordon stepped closer with a small paintbrush to detail the protester’s green, red and yellow necklace. On a Thursday morning, things were quiet downtown, compared to the three weeks of protests the city has seen since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. But Gordon wants to keep the conversation going, and his art is his contribution. He said he loves Denver for the color, the culture and the community, and now he gets to have his work on display in the center of the city.
Gordon is an artist in the Black Love Mural Festival, currently on display at Civic Center, now extended through July 7. Organized by Robert Gray of Rob the Art Museum and Annie Phillips of IRL art, the display features murals built around statues, lampposts and flag poles in Civic Center park.
Eryk Fisher, an organizer with Rob the Art Museum, said the project started as a way to prevent vandalism while continuing the message of Black Lives Matter and highlighting black artists. Organizers pitched the idea to the city and turned the park into an art festival within days. It’s still growing. A handful of young black artists walking through the park have joined the festival in the past week, some for their first paid gig, Fisher said.
“When the protesting starts to die down, we wanted to ensure that the message is still here,” Fisher said Thursday. “We’re still fighting for the same things,
but we can do it with love. That’s why we call it the Black Love Mural Festival because it’s to show and express black love. We feel like that’s what we’re lacking from the world, to love us for who we are.”
Charlie Billingsley, artist and founder of the Museum for Black Girls — another partner for the festival — said every piece connects to what’s going on in the world, from slo gans and quotes to symbols like records, afros and the black power fist.
The piece she’s working on with other artists from the Museum for Black Girls features quotes and images of black women. From Breonna Taylor to Angela Davis, the collage illustrates their leadership and sacrifices under the words, “Protect Black Women.”
“Art is a protest,” Billingsley said Wednes day “Not everyone can get out to the protest ... but we want to give other people options of ways they can raise their voices.”
The organizers are also raising money through a Gofundme for microgrants for black creatives in Denver. By displaying black artists in the center of the city, Billingsley hopes people can see the work they’re doing and launch their careers.
Fisher underlined that the Black Love Mural Festival pays artists for their work. But their budget wasn’t huge, and the Gofundme can provide the financial support that black artists need to continue the conversation around Black Lives Matter in Denver.
Fisher said the murals have connected the black arts community in this essential time. Some artists didn’t know there were this many black creday. ators in the city, Fisher said, but contributors of different ages have come together to put on the festival in a short period of time.
“We hope that we can continue to do this, that it doesn’t have to take another black person killed for us to come together and celebrate black lives and black creatives and black culture,” he said. “Let’s celebrate people while we’re alive.”