East Trenton mural highlights community
A new mural unveiled in East Trenton yesterday tethered new voices as local residents joined Bentrice Jusu in art creation and rejuvenation of community and spirits.
The East Trenton Collaborative delivered a mural entitled, “The Art of Becoming, East Trenton”, a collaboration of the ultra-talented Jusu, a Trenton Central High graduate who returned from Wake Forest with a college scholarship and visions to reshape the consciousness of a city and neighborhood.
“It is done. It is done,” Jusu said. “It’s awesome and I feel amazing, not only because it’s a mural I’ve been working on for more than a year but literally, I think it has the stamp of authenticity from the neighborhood.
“When you talk about community works, you don’t often engage the community like that. I want this to be a testimony about how much power and authority we have over our current history, our present, and our ability to shape the future.”
Jusu worked with a group of East Trenton teenagers who were challenged to photograph what they loved about their neighborhood. Jusu selected photos provided by Kiyah Johnson and Sarai Martin along with some photos contributed by East Trenton residents, historical images and photographs the artist took during the process.
Blue Ink Studio imprinted enlarged copies of the photos onto vinyl strips which were then pressed onto the house in the 600 block of North Clinton Ave., a residence owned by Gloria Scott. The strips were then heat sealed onto the concrete outer wall.
Luis Juarez, Blue Ink Studio owner, and his assistant, Fredy Barrientos, a company salesman, dangled from a miniature forklift early Friday evening as they completed the project on schedule.
“It looks great,” Juarez said, adding that the project included some unexpected challenges. “But we learned a lot from this first time. It should get easier for the next one.”
Juarez and Barrientos joined a community party as local residents celebrated a mural that brightens the corner lot near South Olden Ave. East Trenton Collaborative funded a cookout as a disc jockey ramped up various music favorites.
The mural includes two quotes by the teen contributors. Martin wrote, “I just want everyone to feel the things I feel in my community, stick together no matter how different we are. We make our own community great.”
Johnson added, “I want people to look at these pictures and actually realize that East Trenton can be beautiful in its own right. I want them to look at the photos and say that Trenton can be like any other gorgeous place we see in magazines.”
And then, there’s a photo of a smiling, African-American woman wearing blue overalls with her arms crossed near her waist.
“That’s my daughter Rhonda,” Scott said. “I wanted my daughter on the wall because she loved Trenton. She was a beautiful daughter but she got caught up and got killed down in Camden. She was with some acquaintance and they were getting high together. He eventually stabbed Rhonda and set her body on fire from the waist up.”
Scott added another story, one that she said underscores the potential of people.
“Ronasia, my granddaughter, just graduated from Lehigh University. Rhonda would have been so proud,” Scott said.
If newspapers and media members fairly represented urban communities, people would understand that successful stories and lives exist here. It’s imperative that positive stories are not overrun by negativity.
Jusu summed up her intentions in a East Trenton Collaborative press release.
“My hope is to inspire all people in East Trenton to be active participants, historians, documentarians and builders, as well as keepers of their culture and history,” she wrote.
“And I want anyone looking at this mural to be moved to become the change they want to see in their home.”
The East Trenton Collaborative is a group of residents and organizations who work together to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood by addressing problem properties, strengthening community assets, improving infrastructure and promoting economic opportunity.
The mural project had significant influence provided by community activist and East Trenton Collaborative consultant Iana Dikidjieva.
Thanks to East Trenton residents who attended the mural presentation. Together, we can build a strong Trenton that interacts with all people, knowing that conversation can lead to progress and resolution.