Urban Feminist Mural by Weissman & Braun-Reinitz
Brooklyn Artists Create Portraits to Show the Lives of Strong Women
Sep 11, 2008
There is no denying that art is what holds a community together. It is the universal language that can be understood through billions of different perspectives. What we see and what we comprehend are individually justified by humanity, culture, history, and creativity. And though we all might take in different versions of one work of art, it is there to make us think about our past, present, and the possible successes of our future. That is exactly what Jane Weissman and Janet Braun-Reinitz had in mind when they began creating ‘When Women Pursue Justice,’ a mural that celebrates the history of women who have created social and historical changes in American throughout the 20th century.
The 3,300-square-foot mural is set on the side of 498 Green Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, a location that was chosen to celebrate the movement led by the late Shirley Chisholm, the first woman who attempted presidency in modern America, as well as a democratic representative of the Bed-Stuy district from 1968 to 1983. It shows 90 portraits painted by several principal artists, as well as numerous interns and community members.
The paintings are divided by 13 movement leaders and 67 movement activists, all of whom have played an important role in the civil, voting, reproductive, health, and racial rights of all Americans—male and female. Among the portraits include Emma Goldman, Angela Davis, the anonymous Guerrilla Girls, Wilma Mankiller, Elizabeth Blackwell and Mother Jones. These are women from around the world, of all different races and ages, who have used their individual strength and stamina to allow our personal freedoms to progress.
“We wanted to present a demonstration,” states Braun-Reinitz, the mural designer for this Artmakers Inc. community painting. “People hold up signs. This is ours.” And though most demonstrations cause at least a small amount of controversy in the neighborhood in which they're held, the neighbors of Bedford-Stuyvesent have been more than happy to be part of this mural’s home. “We basically courted them,” both Weissman and Braun-Reinitz agree. “It was a time thing more than a philosophical thing. It turned out that it couldn’t be better.”
Because Artmakers Inc. is a small organization run by visual artists, writers, and people with other occupations that don’t have the capabilities to financially support their cause as much as they would like, Braun-Reinitz and Weissman had to reach out to other companies and organizations for help with financing the project. The Sister Fund and Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation are just two out of over 180 contributors that were both financially and emotionally dedicated to the ‘When Women Pursue Justice’ project.
Though this was strictly a women’s project, several men were inspired enough to share their talents for the mural. Thomas Ballard, who owned the building with his wife, Dorothy Ballard, requested to paint Eleanor Roosevelt’s portrait, as she was an important figure for his family. “After all,” he stated, “it is my wall.” Another man, the husband of one of the principal artists, Lady Pink, also contributed to the work of art due to his philosophical dedication to the mural’s meaning and history.
But while the whole community, both men and women, supports the mural and its purpose, Braun-Reinitz and Weissman both noticed that it was the women, naturally, who first noticed ‘When Women Pursue Justice’, and were also the first to ask questions about the individual portraits that were shining across their neighborhood.
While walking down Bed-Stuy to find the mural, which is quite visible even in the late winter’s snow, one can see the acceptance in the eyes of the community members as they pass it on their daily rounds. The neighbors, who have grown used to the bold colors and historical statements, are still interested in the content and details. Even those who have passed it every day will still stop on occasions to read the placard that states the powerful reasoning behind the project.
And though many of those who are honored in the mural are no longer here to support the cause, the spirit of their actions will forever exist because of organizations like Artmakers Inc., which are dedicated to relighting the political fire that has sparked so much change.
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