BLM MURAL PROJECT - TACOMA
This mural project, located at Tollefson Plaza, 1548 Commerce St, Tacoma, WA was designed and created with community
input by a group of Black visual, multimedia, photography and interdisciplinary artists from Tacoma WA.
Thanks to an incredible amount of people that rallied together in many different ways to complete this mural. We are forever grateful and beyond appreciative for the organizations, businesses, and community that contributed to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Mural Project Tacoma. We hope you see weaved throughout this mural the core message of liberation and justice that the Black Lives Matter movement stands for, and the spirit of the Black community in Tacoma and so many other cities.
Photo by J Kinlow Photography
On this website learn more about the project, team and print Black Lives Matter (BLM) Mural Project Posters. Click on the thumbnail to download an 8.5x11 size.
Project team member Brian Neal Sr., @keepitmovingservicesllc
Danielle Jordan, Artist, Designer and Creative Consultant, @art_estique
Artist and muralist Breyahna Monet, @breyahnamonetpaints
Kenya Adams, Arts & Education Coordinator, Youth Liaison and Interdisciplinary Artist
Chuck Taylor, Photographer and
Multimedia Artist, @2chucktaylor
Gwen Jones, BLM Mural project interdisciplinary artist
Mural Project Intern Chloe Pargmann is a rising Junior at the University of Puget Sound.
Michelle Mack, BLM Mural project
graphic arts intern
Dionne Bonner, Mural Artist, Graphic Designer, and Mural Project Lead, @dionnebonner
Click the thumbnail to download this poster.
Click the thumbnail to download this poster.
Click the thumbnail to download this poster.
Learn more about our artist team in the videos below featuring Dionne Bonner, Gwen Jones, Chuck Taylor and Kenya Adams.
Visual Artist/Designer
Dionne Bonner
Multimedia Artist
Gwen Jones
Photographer/Multimedia Artist
Chuck Taylor
Interdisciplinary Artist
Kenya Adams
See project photos and discover more on our Instagram page.
Photo by Chuck Taylor
About this project
Artists Dionne Bonner, Kenya Adams, Gwen Jones, and Charles Taylor planned the creation of the Black Lives Matter mural in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Additional artists Breyahna Monet and Danielle Jordan joined the project in the second phase and helped complete the mural painting project.
The reason for creating this mural was to celebrate the achievements and contributions of African Americans throughout history. The goal of this project was to draw from Tacoma’s history and imagined futures. The Artwork was painted directly on the concrete of the Tollefson plaza during the summer of 2022.
The Black Lives Matter movement has sparked a local and global outcry to protect Black lives, end police brutality and tackle institutionalized racism in all forms and professions. As a result, the Human Rights Commission's Racial Justice and Equity Committee proposed creating a mural to signify that the City of Tacoma supports Black lives and the Black Lives Matter movement.
In partnership with the Tacoma Arts Commission and Tacoma Art Museum, a BLM mural will be installed in Tollefson Plaza by June 30, 2022.
The Black Lives Matter movement, like the civil rights movements before it, has effectively articulated the injustices that exist nationally and locally at the intersections of race, class, and gender including mass incarceration, police brutality, poverty, unaffordable housing, income disparity, homophobia, gender inequality, poor access to healthcare, and educational outcomes. This mural will encourage Tacoma residents to recognize the plight suffered by people of color to obtain equality while at the same time continuing to challenge us to persevere in unity toward racial justice.
These are some of the ways people got involved with this project:
Attended public virtual or in-person events and participated in activities*
Shared this website with their networks
Displayed BLM Mural Project Tacoma posters at their businesses or organizations
Volunteered to help during the mural painting and installation* (info table, cleaning brushes, community painting activity, photography, etc.)
Header Photo - by Jam Scott
This project was a collaboration between the City of Tacoma’s Human Rights Commission and the Tacoma Art Museum with funding support from the City of Tacoma, the Tacoma Arts Commission and Tacoma Creates.
tinyurl.com/BLMMuralTacoma
