Huntsville artists unveil Black Lives Matter project along Clinton Ave

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjLd6xBB8Ci/

If you’re headed down Clinton Avenue today take a look out your window as you approach the post office. There you will find a new art installation that is the compilation of work created by several local artists. For this project, led by John Jahni Moore (aka Jahni the Artist), each participant had less than a week to put together a 8’x4′ piece but all rose to the challenge. The resulting work represents varying expressions of fear, anger, unity, light, rage, hopefulness, and peace. Click on gallery above to view some of the 17 pieces.

Although you might not recognize Jahni’s name, you almost certainly have seen his work. Most recently his art was featured as the official artwork for Panoply 2020 and probably most famously (at least for Huntsvillians) his mural at Campus 805 has featured in many area selfies.

Why Art is Important

Artists hold a unique space in our culture. They have the ability to help us see things from new and heretofore unimagined perspectives. Stories unlock new worlds for readers, music makes listeners feel what it’s like to exist in those worlds, and visual art helps observers to actually see those worlds.

For all these reasons, we encourage you to visit this installation and, as with all art, do so with an open heart and mind. We are currently in the midst of a hard and troublesome time in our country but one that feels long overdue for many. For those members of our community, this installation can serve as a way to feel heard and provide hope that we can heal.

And if all of this is scary to you, go anyway. Even if you don’t understand why things seem to be happening so quickly and why the protests in this country have grown so large, even if you feel like the unrest is unwarranted, we ask you to please consider taking the time to go view this installation. You don’t have to join the protests. You don’t have to hashtag your social media posts with support. You don’t have to agree, but it’s hard to argue that listening to others can do any harm.