By Alana Bittner
Just steps away from Heather Heyer Way, the faces of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sage Smith, and others look out from the Silverchair office windows on the Downtown Mall. Painted with India ink on cardboard, 12 portraits comprise the series “Say Their Names: a BLM Tribute,” artist Laura Lee Gulledge’s homage to victims of police brutality and racial injustice. Interwoven among the portraits are the subjects’ biographies, as well as information on how to help their families.
The series began with a portrait of George Floyd that Gulledge carried to a Black Lives Matter protest in June. The work has remained connected to current events: as she was writing the subjects’ bios, white supremacists stormed the U.S. Capitol. Soon after, Gulledge collaborated with local rapper LaQuinn to create a large-scale composition book that incorporates lyrics from his song “Black Lives Matter”—only hours after they completed it, an encounter with local police left LaQuinn battered and bruised and leveling accusations of police brutality against the Charlottesville Police Department. The incident is currently under investigation.
Creating art that captures moments so immediate and devastating is difficult. “Writing out everyone’s stories for this exhibit was very challenging to process,” says Gulledge. “Plus this was the same time of the Capitol attack, which retriggered memories of the Charlottesville attack literally right next to the exhibit. It all felt very potent. Very real. Very now.”
In the face of these tragic events, honoring the memory of those lost can provide a sense of refuge and hope. “As an artist I feel that one of the best things I can contribute at this moment to my community is love,” Gulledge says. “This installation is an expression of love. It felt like a gift.”
To complement “Say Their Names: a BLM Tribute,” Gulledge is creating another series honoring those who are “Living in Peace.” She will be painting the portraits in the windows of the Silverchair building on February 19 and 20. Community members are welcome to drop by and say hello.