The six murals I have selected for my exhibition are significant works of art located in the urban landscapes of Philadelphia, Austin, and New Delhi. I have put the images of these particular murals together because of their creative storytelling in communicating historical, social and political narratives that they bring to life in a way that is aesthetically appealing and compelling. Murals are important because they bring art and importantly its associated message into the public arena. All the photographs of the murals curated in this exhibition have a powerful way of communicating and vividly expressing the history, culture, and/or political and social issues of the urban spaces and contexts of which they occupy. The mural created by Ann Northrup is titled “Pride and Progress” in support of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community in Philadelphia. It portrays the celebration of the gay pride festival with people from diverse cultures, ages, race, and gender. It also includes the Drake Hotel (a landmark) and the rainbow colored flag that represents the LGBT community. On the far left of the mural, a man is putting up a poster titled, “It’s a matter of justice” that is associated with the gay civil rights march that took place on July 4, 1966 at Independence Hall. Interestingly, her sister and her sister’s partner are also shown on the far side of the mural. Josh Sarantitis’s “Gateway to Chinatown” is a representation of the cultural heritage of China. There is a portrayal of a scroll, a few children, a dragon, and a face of a woman that depict the Chinese Community’s past, present, and future. The location of the mural is critical because it was where resistance and activism was successfully organized by the Chinese community to block the building of a stadium and enabled the growth of the community. “The Victory Grill” Wall painted in Austin, Texas by the Trust Your Struggle Art Collective represents the history of the music venue. The mural honors and features Austin soul queen Lavelle White, Johnny Holmes, the founder of the venue in 1945, and pianist Roosevelt “Grey Ghost” Williams, the first musician booked by Holmes. The detail in the artwork is so intricate that we can see the reflections of two people in one of the lenses in the eyeglasses. Hendrick ECB Beikirich’s massive black and white mural of “Mahatma Gandhi” was painted on the Delhi Police Headquarters building to bring about positivity on the streets. This mural portrays only one image which is revered and honored globally and appropriately captures the crux of the message. Mahatma Gandhi was obviously chosen because he is a symbol of non-violence, compassion, and peace. Meg Saligman’s “Common Threads” mural portrays high school students mirroring the poses of antique figurines that were owned by her grandmother. Portraying and linking ‘real students’ and ‘the antique figurines’ validates the common thread that links us across time and other cultures. Jared Bader’s “A Peoples Progression Toward Equality” mural pays homage to Abraham Lincoln who spearheaded the abolishment of slavery and the equal rights movement. At the center of the mural, Lincoln’s statue is still under-construction. With different shades of lighting, Bader was able to depict the lower and less-complete portion of the mural to represent the dark days of slavery and segregation. At the higher levels the structure seems to be more complete and the people demonstrate interracial cooperation. The final level is beyond our view, but it suggests a world of true equality. The images selected for my exhibition relate to many concepts of visual culture addressed in this course. As far as representation is concerned, Sturken & Cartwright (2009) argue that, “we construct the meaning of things through the process of representing them” (p. 12). This has been the case with these particular murals. The visual effects of these murals entice, attract and interpellate public attention to the history, culture and social issues that are visually communicated. And because they are located in and part of the existing urban landscape, contextual analysis is significant in making sense and meaning out of the mural being presented. However, interpretation of an image may depend on social and cultural factors and how viewers engage with the mural. The course readings denote viewing as a social practice. Each viewer brings with them their own knowledge, experiences and interpretations when analyzing images. Although the producer of an image may have an intended to convey a specific message, viewers may interpret it differently and associate other meanings to the image. Michael Foucault argues that power is not that which is possessed by individuals but rather power is completely ubiquitous to social networks. The murals of “A Peoples Progression Toward Equality” and “Pride and Progress”, although laced with questions of power, have challenged the power dynamics by fighting for equal rights regardless of sexual orientation and race. Murals bring art into the public sphere and because they occupy “public” spaces, they are accessible to everyone regardless of class, education or ethnicity. Although the murals are located in specific location within urban landscapes, muralists have the advantage of reaching out to the “masses” not only locally but globally and using their art as an effective means of social communication. The global reach can be achieved through the use of technology (i.e. pictures of murals taken then uploaded to social media). As a viewer, I would take caution as some murals may be used as propaganda for political agendas.
