(Image taken by Jeremy Hogan, 2020)
My first encounter with this mural was during my freshman year on campus. I remember walking down Kirkwood and seeing people pose in front of it in their matching IU gear for Instagram. It had just been freshly painted by local artist Eva Allen in 2017, during a time when the city was urging people without permanent homes to leave People’s Park. Recently, People’s Park received a historical marker, giving us more knowledge about the space’s past. I had briefly heard about the Black Market at some point in the last few years, but I had no idea about what happened. This marker was just put up over the summer, around the same time that this new mural (pictured above) was painted. While some people want to remove this mural and replace it with another artwork made by a BLM artist, others think that this one has more impact.
I tend to agree with Indiana University Professor of History Amrita Chakrabarti Myers, who says that the mural is more historical and impactful this way. Yes, it did go against the city’s plan for the space, but redoing this mural would not have the same influence as it does in its current state. Given the context of the space and the recent protests taking place in Bloomington, the words painted over the old mural is a lot more symbolic. It shows how as a city, we are no longer wanting to suppress our past. We no longer will put up with the oppression of Black people; this mural emphasizes that. Also, going back to the origins of People’s Park, this is a space that was made for activism and free expression. If they cover over the mural, even if the new one is still related to BLM, that would subdue the free speech of the protesters and artist who created the current mural. Leaving this artwork up represents how we want to change as a city for the better.
If you have not seen this historical mural, I suggest going to Kirkwood to check it out. It is a part of Bloomington’s history, and while it is still there, we should support and acknowledge what it represents.
For this blog post, I used information from Dave Askins’ article “Activist on ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’ mural overlay: ‘It’s something we can all dance to.’” on B Square Beacon. It can be read at the following link: https://bsquarebeacon.com/2020/06/27/activist-on-black-lives-matter-overlay-to-mural-its-something-we-can-all-dance-to/
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