[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”heading” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Narrative” _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
\u2014 ABOUT MY WORK<\/strong> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/southwestmichiganartists.com\/minas-smitchger\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/black-lives-matter-rose-street-mockup-960.webp” title_text=”BLM Concept Mockup” admin_label=”BLM design concept” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ border_color_all=”#777777″ global_colors_info=”{}” alt=”Image of Black Lives Matter Conceptual Mockup” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Narrative, part 2″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n My specific task was to design the typography and create the canvas on which people would paint. To begin, I used satellite imagery provided by Google Maps to mock up the layout with the correct proportions. The words “Black Lives Matter” were to be spelled out in the center lane of the roadway, measuring 80″ x 1613″. We used large stencils and designated landmarks to keep the wording as centered as possible, even though the road was not perfectly square.<\/p>\n Because Rose Street is a busy thoroughfare, we had to coordinate with Kalamazoo Police and Public Works Officials to ensure the safety of everyone involved. The mural was completed during a long and challenging sixteen-hour day.<\/p>\n In the days following completion, artists and community members would return and add new “enhancements.” This aerial view of the mural was used as the basis for a fundraising T-shirt.\n<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/southwestmichiganartists.com\/minas-smitchger\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/aerial-blm-street-art-1.webp” title_text=”BLM Street Mural Aerial Photo” align=”center” admin_label=”BLM aerial photo” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” alt=”Image of Black Lives Matter Street Mural Aerial Photo” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Street Art\u2014 ABOUT MY WORK During the summer of 2020, I was a member of a collaborative team that brought a Black Lives Matter mural to Rose St in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This endeavor brought together hundreds of volunteers that included artists, students, activists and community members, all who joined forces to leave their mark and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"project_category":[7],"project_tag":[],"class_list":["post-757","project","type-project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","project_category-large-scale-graphics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwestmichiganartists.com\/minas-smitchger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwestmichiganartists.com\/minas-smitchger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwestmichiganartists.com\/minas-smitchger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/project"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwestmichiganartists.com\/minas-smitchger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwestmichiganartists.com\/minas-smitchger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/southwestmichiganartists.com\/minas-smitchger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/757\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwestmichiganartists.com\/minas-smitchger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwestmichiganartists.com\/minas-smitchger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"project_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwestmichiganartists.com\/minas-smitchger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project_category?post=757"},{"taxonomy":"project_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwestmichiganartists.com\/minas-smitchger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project_tag?post=757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nDuring the summer of 2020, I was a member of a collaborative team that brought a Black Lives Matter mural to Rose St in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This endeavor brought together hundreds of volunteers that included artists, students, activists and community members, all who joined forces to leave their mark and share messages of love and support.<\/p>\n