BLM Art

Floyd's World, Colleen Egan

Children Lives Futures, Colleen Egan

During the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, graffiti and mural art became a central form of expression across the country. Graffiti has historically been considered a form of protest, disrupting the landscape through anonymous, collective commentary (Awad et al., 2017). In making protest art, an artist is actively engaging in a conversation not only with the protest topic itself, but with all perspectives involved in the topic, including government authorities.

BLM Flying Heart, Colleen Egan

Baldwin Quote, Colleen Egan

Above all, public protest art confronts sociopolitical issues and strives to imagine a better future. Public art has always been central to the Black American community, acting as a way to increase political agency and action. For many, the purpose of public art in the Black community is to proclaim, “I am still here” (Johnson, 2019, p. 55). This proclamation echoes the spirit of survival as a form of resistance. 

BLM Fist, Colleen Egan

BLM Taqueria, Colleen Egan

The images remain even when the protesters have dissipated, perpetuating the conversation. In this way, artists within this movement are embracing the intent of graffiti as a protest in itself (Gross & Gross, 2016). In this selection of images, the phrase “Black Lives Matter” is repeatedly “chanted,” through images, to remind passersby that the movement is not over.