Three days after George Floyd’s death, artists Greta McLain, Xena Goldman, and Cadex Herrera turned their pain and anger into something profoundly moving – a mural depicting Floyd’s face and name at the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue South in Minneapolis, the exact spot where he was murdered.
Like so many other people of color who have been unjustly killed in recent years, Floyd was invisible to many.
In death, Floyd has become visible to the entire world, bringing to the surface the racial injustices people of color have faced throughout our country for over 400 years.
It is undeniable that we are at a critical moment in our country’s history.
We know that there is a real power to art – it connects, it inspires, it educates, and it heals. On behalf of the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod (AFCC) team and Board of Directors, I want you to know we are committed to making a conscious long-term effort to utilize art to spark dialogue and to create understanding.
The AFCC will work with local arts leaders and artists to initiate a community art project that will give the public an opportunity to listen, to learn, and to identify steps we can all take to end discrimination and exclusion. We will engage with and support artists of color and social justice organizations to help us build better and stronger community ties by focusing on equality and racial justice.
Like the mural of George Floyd in Minneapolis, art is a reflection of the world around us. It is also a statement of where we can go and who we want to be.
Now more than ever, we firmly believe we need unity. We need togetherness. And we need love. Let’s use art as the catalyst for getting us there.
With gratitude,
The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod
Julie Wake, Executive Director
Kathryn Kayajan, Board of Directors, Chair
Mary Lenihan, Board of Directors, Treasurer
Carl Lopes, Board of Directors, Executive Committee
Diane Boudreau, Board of Directors, Executive Committee
Jennifer Dooling, Board of Directors
Becky Dowd, Board of Directors
Bethany Muhlebach, Board of Directors
Matt Clark, Board of Directors
Lilly Chan, Board of Directors