Community Art for Floyd

Community push to protect the art created for Floyd

By Emily Baude

Shortly after George Floyd was killed, Cadex Herrera, Greta McLaain, and Xena Goldman gathered on 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.

“Let's get to work,” Herrera said.

These three artists painted the now heavily photographed mural behind the memorial for Floyd, a 46-year-old man killed by Minneapolis police. 

Throughout the city, artistic tributes to Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement have provided an outlet for many. Minneapolis saw an outcry following Floyd’s death, which caused local artists to use their talents as a voice.

Wherever you go, Floyd’s face and name can be seen on murals, buildings, and boards over businesses. Some artist’s, like Herrera, painted large-scale murals, while others painted on boards covering businesses, initially put up as a safeguard against vandalism.

Today, over four months later, that art is still inspiring action. Leesa Kelly and Kenda Zellner-Smith saw the importance of the smaller works of art being created within their community.

“I was physically and emotionally drained after Floyd died,” Kelly said. “I thought, I have to do something that will outlive the riots. I have to do something that would honor [Floyd’s] legacy and continue to spark action.” 

That’s when she started thinking about how the art could be used as a tool in the future. In collaboration with the Minnesota African American History Gallery and Museum, she started Memorialize the Movement, a group working to preserve the art that was made for Floyd and the community.

Zellner-Smith also realized that the art would eventually come down. “I felt hopeful driving to work and seeing people painting on Hennepin,” she said.

“I had this feeling that the pieces made during the unrest were gonna get looked over,” Zellner-Smith said. This may be because not all of the boards were tagged or have been taken credit for. Most artists weren’t creating for that reason, Zellner-Smith said.

This inspired her to save the art around Minneapolis. She asked businesses to donate the boards to her instead of throwing them away and created an Instagram account under the name of Save the Boards.

Both Kelly and Zellner-Smith see the importance of the art that has been created for the community, in tribute to Floyd.

“The art is such an iconic aspect of the movement and a beacon of hope for the community,” Kelly said. Through protecting it, she and Zellner-Smith are protecting the healing that came to the community through creating the art.

Speaking to this local effort, Herrera said as he worked on the mural, he was approached by passing people and asked to help, to which he responded by handing them a paint brush. “We had little kids from the community work on the outline and coloring the letters, and it was an amazing and a real sort of experience,” he said.

Herrara said this is art for the community, and Kelly and Zellner-Smith agree. “Why shouldn’t this art be in museums?” Kelly said. “It’s a reflection of how the city felt in the aftermath of Floyd’s death. His face and name are a part of our history, and the art is just one facet of that.”

“People [in the community] noticed we can speak through art,” Herrera said. “Personally, I think that's where a lot of that art came from. It was a reaction to the movement.”

The boards will be on display for the community at the Minnesota African American History Gallery and Museum next spring. In the meantime, Kelly and Zellner-Smith are still collecting the boards they can find.

“We all decided we have to fight for this man and this life that was taken… It was a wild and hectic time but it was really powerful. We set the tone that people are going to hear us,” Zellner-Smith said.

Through efforts from Kelly, Zellner-Smith, and Herrera, the impact of Floyd’s death and the art that was subsequently created will last in the community forever.