"Stories of Mt. Hope" mural by Elijah Harris - Providence, Rhode Island
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Painted in the Spring of 2019 by Elijah Faris, this is the second iteration of "Stories of Mt. Hope: East Side Mural Project" on Cypress Street in Providence, RI. It replaces a different version from 2017, which was damaged by weather and vandalism.
Waymark Code: WM11BJR
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Date Posted: 09/22/2019
Views: 2
Painted in the Spring of 2019 by local artist Elijah Faris, this is the second iteration of
"Stories of Mt. Hope: East Side Mural Project". The work, on Cypress Street in Providence, Rhode Island, presents portraits of African American musicians on a background of a record album and a stylized map of the area.
The more recognizable faces of Ray Charles, Etta James, James Brown, Sarah Vaughn, and Billie Holiday are joined by local musicians Sisirretta Jones, Billy Osborne, David Hector, and Sammy DJ Leggs Hector who come from the Mount Hope neighborhood. Along with its artistic achievement, an aim of the project is "...to remind community members, old and new, of the neighborhood’s black culture, history, and a community that doesn’t want to be forgotten." (1)
A month ago I received a public art commission from Arts, Culture, & Tourism to restore the Stories of Mt. Hope mural in Providence, RI. The mural was originally completed by Hannah Resseger aka B Mor Seven, Cathren Housley, and myself two years ago. Since the unveiling in the fall of 2017, vandals and the Parks department waged war with one another and the mural suffered in the crossfire. Attempts to fix the damage were made by locals in the neighborhood, but the mural was never quite the same after. 2 years later, I wrote a proposal to completely restore Stories, and with the permission of Creative Director, Hannah Resseger, the composition was redesigned. Overall, it's the same artwork, except the celebrity portraits are being painted and they're arranged differently this time, as you can see in the concept art. (2)
- Elijah Faris (May 25, 2019)
Read an article about the history of the project and see videos from the original dedication event in 2017, here.
Sources:
1 - Vella, Lauren. "If These Walls Could Talk - The stories behind the famous faces in Providence", Providence Monthly, August 5, 2019
2 - Instagram, Elijah Fairs Art, #faris_designs