Art + Abolition Event : Public Art at Seward Co-op Buildings

June 4, 2020

Join us on Thursday, June 24 from 6–7:30 p.m. outside of the Franklin and Friendship stores and streaming on Facebook for live DJs, community art-making, and the ceremonial donation of artists’ 2020 murals to Memorialize the Movement.

Before the event, you can download our free virtual Abolition Art Kit. This kit has resources and ideas for you and your family to create your own art at home as a reminder of your commitment to anti-racism in 2021 and beyond.

During the summer of 2020, murals honoring Black lives began popping up all over the Twin Cities in response to the brutal killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.

Art brings hope and vitality to our lives, and has historically been a cathartic response and reflection on social justice issues. In the wake of the social uprising and murals, Save the Boards and Memorialize the Movement connected with the goal of collecting and preserving the protest art.

In early June 2020, we invited local BIPOC-led artist groups to create murals on the boards at Seward Co-op’s Franklin and Friendship stores. The event brought together community members and neighborhood youth, with DJs and chalk art. The collective goal of this process was to call out the underlying oppression of our society and the need for change to a more non-violent society built around equity and justice for all. We were happy to offer a canvas to express emotions and grief, and to support the community in metabolizing trauma.

See photos from the murals being created at our Franklin and Friendship store on our Facebook page.

Many of these murals have since been donated to Memorialize the Movement; while others remain displayed at our two store locations. Memorialize the Movement, Seward Co-op, and the artists agreed that the murals displayed at these stores continue to have positive impacts on the immediate communities surrounding the stores. The mutual choice to leave the murals displayed was one done intentionally and with consideration to all who may be impacted, including store staff and neighbors, many of whom take comfort from their presence.

You can stop by the Seward Co-op stores any time to appreciate the artwork displayed on the buildings and in the parking lots. Join us on June 24 for a community art celebration and the official removal and donation of these murals to Memorialize the Movement. More information on this event is here.

Murals displayed at the Franklin store:

“This painting shows the lack of justice in this world and a call for equal treatment of everyone. The hand symbolizes the struggling hands of people who are fighting for the freedom of everyone. The black sun in the painting represents the current situation that shook the world in sadness and the anger against the brutal killing of George Floyd.” – Sara Endalew

“This poem, which is two pages originally, was born out of anger, disbelief, grief and mostly it is a call for solidarity and respect for humanity.” – Zemenay Zeryihun

BLM mural, with an accompanying poem written in Amharic and translated in English
Artists: painter Sara Endalew, poet Zemenay Zeryihun and graphic designer Yezihalem Mesfin

Zemenaye Zeryihun is a graduate of Metropolitan State University in Business Administration and currently working as Research Remediation Analyst at Wells Fargo Bank. She is also a founding member of Rhythmic Literature, a group of Ethiopian art lovers in Minnesota. She is one of the writers who organizes around art and strongly believes art can heal the heart. Zemenay lives in South Minneapolis and very close to where George Floyd was murdered.

Sara Endalew attended the Addis Ababa University Fine Arts School in Ethiopia, and graduated in the field of Sculpture and Painting. She is passionate about visual art.

Yezihalem (Yezih) Mesfin took part in graphically designing the poem and writing both the Amharic and English version on the mural. Yezih is an Electrical and Biomedical engineer by trade. He currently works at Starkey Hearing Technologies as a Manager of Systems verification Engineer. Yezih is also a PhD Candidate at the University of Minnesota, Biomedica Engineering Department. Yezih’s hobbies include playing music, woodworking, glass art and community organizing. He is inspired by challenge, biographies of successful people, people with principles and are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in, individuals willing go to the extra mile to make a positive impact on others’ lives.

“Unite as One”
Artists: Holly (Miskitoos) Henning and Charles (Wanisin) Garcia

Holly (Miskitoos) Henning is Marten Falls First Nations, Constance Lake First Nations Cree, and Ojibwe. She is an active indigenous visual artist and has been a part of several community based events throughout the United States, Canada, Africa and Mexico. Holly uses traditional beadwork, birch bark biting, acrylics, aerosol, airbrush and traditional dance as a personal and political tool to address, explore and portray contemporary indigenous struggle.

Charles (Wanisin) Garcia visual artist and photographer. His artwork and photography examine social and political issues such as; the criminalization of immigrants and indigenous populations; urban life, self-identity and the realities of our communities in which we struggle to thrive.

“Let’s Grow Together for a Better Tomorrow”
Artists: Holly (Miskitoos) Henning and Charles (Wanisin) Garcia

“Unity/Love You”
Artist: Thomasina Topbear

Thomasina is a self taught indigenous Lakota/Dakota Indigenous artist who uses murals to express her feelings on community, culture, feminism and togetherness. She helped created City Mischief Murals, an all BIPOC artist collective in the Twin Cities and is a member of the international female art crew Few & Far Women. Thomasina has organized a number of local and national community based murals focusing on youth, women & BIPOC artists. Her influences come from her Dakota & Lakota culture and graffiti style lettering.

“Peace, Love, & Protection”
Artist: Joy Spika @joyspika

Joy Spika is a dedicated youth worker, teaching artist, muralist and musician. She is a practicing artist who has been engaging with both youth and emerging Twin Cities artists since receiving her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Joy believes in the power of art to communicate and connect people. Her work in the Minneapolis art community spans over a decade, working alongside underrepresented artists. Joy is passionate about working with young people who want to explore the possibilities of what the arts has to offer them, and hopes to help elevate the experiences of the community… And she’s black AF. Joy says, “We need to see Black people and IPOC in every creative conversation and being represented in policymaking, curation, and being represented as much as or more than white folks for the time being.”

“Community, Unity, & Solidarity”
Artist: Reggie LeFlore @ral86

Reggie LeFlore is a visual artist who creates art to praise individual and collective stories through human portraiture. His subject matter centers around “everyday people.” he crafts portraits with vibrant colors and contemporary elements, with respect to the human aesthetic to capture the energy and spirit of his subjects’ stories. Reggie is inspired by the concepts and philosophies of Street Art culture and Illustration — using aerosol, acrylic paint and various graphic design techniques to construct pieces in varying styles, scales and surfaces. He uses visual arts to amplify both my surrounding environments and the narratives contained within them.

Murals displayed at the Friendship store:

“Performative Allyship Will Not Suffice”
Artists: Taylan DeJohnette and Ashley Koudou

Taylan De Johnette is a Minneapolis Based Designer who originally hailed from the crowded lands of Southern California. She earned her BFA in Design from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in May of 2019. In 2019, she joined the Studio 400 inaugural cohort led by Leslie Barlow and Public Functionary members. She had a short run as a Design intern under Target Co. and has since developed a deep passion for the socially innovative side of Art and Design. She hopes to bring awareness to larger social, racial and political affairs all while being relentlessly passionate about strengthening the voices of the unheard through her work. Taylan’s love for Minimal Design, tiny type, color, and socially provoking art all play significant roles in her creation process. @dejohnettee

Ashley Koudou is a 23 year old designer/illustrator based in Minneapolis. They have a background in advertising but are transitioning to a career that is focusing on illustration design and fine art. They’ve also teamed up with Creative After Curfew to tap into the fine art side they have been missing

“We are the Future”
Artist: Maiya Hartman @Maiyaleaart

Maiya Lea Hartman is an acrylic painter and mixed-media artist living and working in Minneapolis, MN. She works in a diverse range of medium from pencil and pen drawing, to acrylic painting or watercolors. Her work is largely informed by observations she makes of the world around her and the exploration of human nature and the way we interact with our environment, often examining how our environments affect our ability to express our needs and feelings as both individuals and communities. By using mixed-media materials familiar to childhood, she enhances complex narratives and draws on nostalgia. Maiya is notably one of the 9 emerging artists in residence at Studio400 in the NE Arts Districts’ Northrup King Building. Maiya recently displayed her body of work titled “At Home” at Rosedale Center in Roseville, MN as part of their fall/winter exhibit “Who You Are”. Earlier this Spring some of Maiya’s pen drawings were also included in “The Beginning of Everything” group drawing exhibition at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery in Minneapolis, MN.

“Fight for Justice”
Artists: David Chang, Billie White, and Sam Dunne, with assistance from neighborhood youth, volunteers, & community members

“Standing Together”
Artists: Simone Alexa @simonealexaart and Nicole Stegart, with assistance from neighborhood youth, volunteers, & community members

Simone Alexa was raised in Hilo, Hawaii. She is currently attending Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Hawaiian and African American culture focus on community and taking care of each other. Through these influences Alexa’s work focuses on the empowerment of black and brown people in her community. In creating more representation Alexa furthers the deconstruction of the already existing harmful representations of people of color. In her murals Alexa’s art has captured the power of the people when standing together. She uses immediately legible images and symbols to comfort viewers and inspire the continuous fight against injustice and inequality.

Murals donated to Memorialize the Movement:

“We Fight Today”
Artists: Taylan DeJohnette and Ashley Koudou

“8 Minutes 46 Seconds”
Artists: Taylan DeJohnette and Ashley Koudou

“Liberation Garden”
Artists: Leslie Barlow, Sarah Nicole, Sam Dunne, Sevilla Arradondo

Leslie Barlow is a visual artist, educator, and space creator living and working in Minneapolis, MN. In her visual art practice, Barlow’s current work uses figurative oil painting to share stories that explore the politics of representation, identity, otherness, and racial constructs. Barlow actively exhibits her work throughout the United States and many of her pieces can be found in private and public collections. She teaches at the University of Minnesota and Carleton College, helps run the organization MidWest Mixed, and she also supports emerging artists as the Program Director of Studio 400.

“Rainbow-Checkered Black Lives Matter”
Artists: Ryan Stopera, Mar E, and 38th Street youth

“Justice for Tony”
Artist: Maiya Hartman

“We are Stars”
Artist: Bayou Thomas

Bayou (Donald Thomas) An artist and designer born in St. Paul on the land of the Dakota peoples and still based in the Twin Cities. I create mixed-media art installations called Affirmation Mirrors composed mostly of fabric wrapped wood, yarn, mirrors, and beads. I also create murals, digital illustrations, design digital and print materials for artists and organizations, and work as a teaching artist. My art explores the themes of nature from the micro to the cosmic, healing trauma, time, portals, repetitive geometry, setting intentions for affirmations, asking questions, and identity exploration. Water is an especially strong theme in my work as I live near the Mississippi River and it has influenced me on many levels of life.

“Rising Phoenix”
Artists: Leslie Barlow, Nell Pierce, Maria Robinson, Katrina Knutson, Juliette Meyers, Hussain Ali

June 2020 Artist Teams
Franklin Location
Thomasina Topbear (Artist lead)
Joy Spika @joyspika (Artist lead)
Holly Henning
Charlie Garcia
Reggie LeFlore @ral86

Photographer: Derek Meyer
DJ: DJ Babyghost
Youth engagement: Joy Spika

Friendship Location
Leslie Barlow @ljpinko (Artist lead)
Bayou Thomas @dtdesigntc
Simone Alexa @simonealexaart
Maiya Hartman @Maiyaleaart
Taylan DeJohnette @dejohnettee

Photographer: Chloe Krenz
DJ: Jacques
Youth engagement: Ryan Stopera