Black Lives Matter: The Art of Protest mural in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Art has the ability to change lives. Art can evoke strong emotion. Art can prompt action for a cause. Art can even share stories that words alone cannot always express. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis debuts a special two-year exhibit called, Stories from Our Community: The Art of Protest.

Art brought 18 strangers together following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police. By blending their shared passions for art, community and human rights, the artists created a street mural on Indiana Avenue in downtown Indianapolis to support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Each letter in the mural was created to reject injustice and share stories of the Black experience. The mural was vandalized just seven days after it was created. The Children's Museum now hopes to share their stories through a miniature recreation of the Black Lives Matter mural.

"If we can reach children with conversations that adults are having, the next generation may not have to go through the hardships that we are going through now," said Deonna Craig, Visiting Artist at The Children's Museum and one of the original Indiana BLM mural artists.

Discover how the street mural changed these artist's lives as they share their personal stories and experiences through a video that is part of the installation. Children and families can then connect those stories to the artwork of paintings of each letter of the mural that spells out #BlackLivesMatter. Light in the shape of the vandalism that destroyed the original street mural will periodically flash onto the canvases to represent the hostile reactions against the movement.

"It's important to juxtapose our message and what we're trying to fight against," said Craig.

Visitors can also check out some of the objects used to create the mural such as paint brushes and tools along with some of their sketches. Stations with tablets are available for children and families to watch interviews with each of the artists providing 18 different perspectives of the mural art and its messages.

The museum also features additional artwork from the mural artists that is not associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, further demonstrating how art can be used as a form of expression and storytelling.

Visitors were also invited to help create an 81-goot-long Black Lives Matter Mural with chalk. Every symbol and letter from the Black Lives Matter Mural was outlined and ready for new designs.
See video here.

Finally, The Children's Museum hosts two visiting artists each year who hold public workshops to teach families about various art concepts and encourage them to create their own art with their help. The Visiting Art Program is a project of the Lechleiter Indiana Visting Artist Fund with support provided by The White Oak Foundation, Sarah and John Lechleiter.

Stories From Our Community: The Art of Protest is presented by Ice Miller LLP. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is proud to partner with Riley Children's at Indiana University Health, Old National Bank and Ice Miller LLP.

About The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is a nonprofit institution committed to creating extraordinary learning experiences across the arts, sciences, and humanities that have the power to transform the lives of children and families. For more information about The Children's Museum, visit http://www.childrensmuseum.org, follow us on Twitter @TCMIndy, Instagram@childrensmuseum, YouTube.com/IndyTCM and Facebook.

Media Contact

Kim Harms, The Children's Museum, 3178095203, [email protected]

SOURCE The Children's Museum of Indianapolis