Instead of celebrating the Fourth of July with the traditional fireworks, Baton Rouge-based art gallery owner Kristen Downing helped organize area artists for a Black Lives Matter mural.
Inspired by other BLM murals created in major cities across the nation, Downing began planning the Baton Rouge mural about a month ago. She initially brushed off requests by Instagram followers for the mural because she didn’t think it was “possible in Louisiana.” But as an artisan and activist, using her voice through art is important to her.
“We want to see a change,” Downing says. “We’re tired of people getting killed because of the color of their skin. If we use our voice right now, we can hopefully get people in office to pass policies to protect our people.”
Downing organized a group of more than a dozen artists with ties to the Capital Region for the project, which they began painting in the parking lot of Boil & Roux over the holiday weekend. Adrian Hammond, with Boil & Roux, sponsored the painting after Downing’s pitch for the mural to be located downtown were rejected.
“I thought that city officials would have helped, but it didn’t happen,” she says. “This was community-driven. The community made sure we got it done.”
She initially had 16 artists onboard for the mural, one for each letter of the phrase “Black Lives Matter,” but because of a few dropouts, a few of the artists doubled up on their letters. Downing kicks off the piece with her B design, which is light teal with faceless brown-skinned faces. They are the faces of Alton Sterling, killed in 2016 in Baton Rouge; Breonna Taylor, killed in her bed earlier this year after Louisville Metro Police Department officers stormed the wrong apartment; George Floyd, also killed earlier this year in Minnesota; among others who were killed by law enforcement.
“Even though they are faceless, you will look at those faces and know who each one of them are,” Downing says. “The reason I do faceless portraits is because I’m seeing my husband, my brother, my cousin in their faces. Every time they go out the door we have to have a conversation about what to do and how to act is stopped by law enforcement. We shouldn’t have this conversation.”
Another Baton Rouge artist, Marc Fresh, designed the last E in the mural with colorful fists holding onto one another in a symbol of unity.
After owning and operating KAWD Art Gallery on Government Street for two years, Downing is closing the gallery next month. The building her gallery is housed in was sold. The New Orleans native intends to stick around Baton Rouge though, and is looking for a new location for her gallery. She’d like to stay in Mid City, which she likens to the art district of Baton Rouge, but says she’ll look in North Baton Rouge if she can’t find a suitable space.
“The art culture is needed in Baton Rouge,” she says. “There’s no African American art gallery out there around here besides mine. I want to stay in Baton Rouge and help the art scene.”
You can reach Downing at kawdartgallery@gmail.com.Â
