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Many artworks related to theBlack Lives Matter movement were created inPortland, Oregon, United States, duringlocal protests over themurder ofGeorge Floyd and other Black Americans.Oregon Arts Watch contextualized the artistic works, stating that a "whitewashed pre-COVID lens" on American life, which obscured systemic racism, had been "cracked",[1] and describing artists' response to racial violence being brought into the public eye was a "marathon, not a sprint".[2]
In mid 2020, duringlocal protests over themurder ofGeorge Floyd, many boarded windows, sidewalks, and other structures indowntown Portland were graffitied with chalk and paint, or covered by posters. According to Benjamin Brink ofStreet Roots, "Messaging range[d] from anti-police and anti-racist rhetoric to motivational quotes and support for Black lives".[3] Many of the artworks depicted Floyd and other victims ofpolice brutality in the U.S., or incorporated phrases associated with theBlack Lives Matter movement such as "I can't breathe and "No justice, no peace".[3] Some of the murals were added by local businesses.[4]
TheThompson Elk Fountain, one of the most visible public artworks in Portland, located near frequent protests at theMultnomah County Justice Center, was removed for its protection. The elk has been used since as anantifascist symbol, perhaps most visibly in a sculpture dubbed "Nightmare Elk" erected in the Thompson Elk's place.[1]
TheTrump Statue Initiative performed several "statues" atTom McCall Waterfront Park in summer 2020.[1]
TheBlack Lives Matter street mural was painted innorth Portland'sSt. Johns neighborhood in June 2020, and vandalized one month later.We Stand with You by Christian Grijalva was installed innortheast Portland'sKing neighborhood in June 2020. The mural depictsAhmaud Arbery, Floyd andBreonna Taylor, and was vandalized in 2021.
Emma Berger painted portraits on boards protecting windows ofApple Pioneer Place (Southwest Yamhill Street and Fifth Avenue). She started withone of Floyd on June 1, 2020, and worked to recruit other artists and protesters to participate. A portrait of Arbery was added outside the store.[3] In thePioneer Place vicinity, portraits depictedKendra James, Deontae J. Keller, and Jason Washington, all of whom were shot to death byPortland Police Bureau officers, as well asTony McDade and Anton Sterling, who were killed by officers in Tallahassee and Baton Rouge, respectively. Portraits ofRayshard Brooks,Elijah McClain, and Taylor also appeared.[3]
Mexican artist and mother Xochilt Ruvalcaba was commissioned byLisa Schroeder, the owner ofMother's Bistro to paint a series of murals dedicated to Floyd and seven Black children who were killed by police, includingTrayvon Martin andTamir Rice.[5] Next to the portraits Ruvalcaba described the circumstances of their deaths.[6] Ruvalcaba's mural of the words “All Mothers were summoned when he called out to his mama” became the slogan of Moms United for Black Lives, who wore bright yellow T-shirts with the words "Summoned Mama - Black Lives Matter" to protests.[7] Ruvalcaba's mural also inspired the globalGeorge Floyd and Antiracist Street Art Database.[8]
After someone tagged the Imago Deinondenominational church in theBuckman neighborhood with the phrase "Black Lives Matter" on June 3, staff member and artist Heidie Ambrose converted the graffiti into a larger "vibrantly colored" mural. The names of Black people who "died at the hands of systemic racism... police brutality, racial injustice or white supremacy" were painted on individual bricks, including locals as well as Arbery,Martin Luther King Jr., Taylor, andEmmett Till.[9][10] By August, the mural had become a memorial.[10] The church's associate pastor Michelle Jones said:
The mural is part of this often difficult, ongoing project. And as the conflict over the last month in Portland between federal agents and protesters has intensified, the artwork feels even more necessary... At Imago, we're trying to keep the main thing the main thing. I think that's also why the mural is there ― to remind those who see it that with so many things happening at the same time, justice matters. These people on this wall ― and people like them ― matter.[10]
In August, local businessman and philanthropist Jordan Schnitzer announced a $150,000 Black Lives Matter grant program to award 60 artists in Oregon and Washington $2,500 each.[11][12] The program is accepting proposals "for new work or projects, or recently created work directly responding to the current Black Lives Matter movement, responding to marginalized communities; experiences with systemic racism and inequality" until September 30, and grant recipients will be announced on October 31.[13] Museums atPortland State University,University of Oregon, andWashington State University will each award 20 grants and display the newly created artworks upon reopening.[11][14] In a press release, Schnitzer said, "I have often said artists are chroniclers of our time. We all feel anguish about the death of George Floyd and many others at the hands of racial oppression. We, more than ever, need artists to help us understand this issue and help us heal."[13]
