Atlanta artist Angela Davis Johnson's interpretation of a community standing together and being free adorns the back wall of a building in North Little Rock's Argenta district, and it is hoped that the art will kick-start other public art projects in the city.
Johnson, formerly of Little Rock and a self-described "Delta girl" from the unincorporated community of Lambrook in Phillips County, began the mural Monday with the goal of finishing by today.
The mural off Fourth and Poplar streets, on the back side of an annex of the Argenta Drug Store, portrays a diverse group of people standing together while children fly off in the top right corner. The mural, Johnson's first, is a combination of two of her original pieces.
"I hope when people first see it, they're drawn to it by the colors," Johnson said Tuesday morning. Mural artist Jose Hernandez assisted by painting in background color. "Then I hope they think about their neighbors and think about a community's spirit. Standing with your friends and with your neighbors.
"The children flying away represents something to set you free," she added. "By combining the two, I wanted to have the joy and the hope rising above all that's happening on Earth. It's a liberation piece."
The project comes from the Roots Art Connection, which has its headquarters in The House of Art, at 108 E. Fourth St., adjacent to the mural wall.
The nonprofit relocated to North Little Rock's downtown arts district about eight months ago, founder Chris James said. The goal, according to a September announcement from James about the project, is to "create art that truly represents diversity, culture and community."
The House of Art requested sketches from several artists, James said Tuesday, and Johnson's stood out. The project is possible, he said, through a grant from Alternate Roots, a nonprofit in Atlanta that supports original artworks rooted in a community. A poem by James is also to be part of the finished work.
"Her art spoke to me and other members [of his group] more than any submitted," James said.
Johnson's original piece, which depicts the diverse group of people, is The Gathering. It received an honorable mention in the Delta Exhibition at the Arkansas Arts Center in 2014, the artist said.
"That's a huge competition," James said. "That's a piece of fine art being put on a wall."
The idea for the mural project is to "really see public art in the community," James said.
"Especially in major cities, you see big pieces of art in public spaces," James said. "With Argenta being an arts district, I wanted to see more public art. This mural in Argenta is going to be a big step for having public art. [Art] can become a tourist attraction and can do so much for a neighborhood."
Because the mural is within the Argenta Historic District, James had to receive approval for it from the North Little Rock Historic District Commission this summer.
The commission approved the concept July 9, contingent on an updated sketch, Historic Commission Executive Director Sandra Taylor-Smith said. The mural being painted this week was the third version of what was submitted, she said Tuesday, and it was received before painting began.
The commission looks for any subject matter that could be "offensive as far as words or symbols" but doesn't approve or disapprove of a work's content, she said, because "art is in the eye of the beholder." Taylor-Smith hadn't seen the poem to be included yet, she added.
"Of course, we look at it and we want to see each [future] one, just so we can make sure it's appropriate," Taylor-Smith said of the mural art. "I don't think there's anything controversial in this.
"This may start it," she said of similar projects that may be requested. "We do allow murals on painted brick, but not on unpainted masonry walls. If it's not painted, you're creating a maintenance issue, and painting over that damages the historic brick."
Metro on 11/11/2015