Community Mural Project with Riverside Collective

One of the community organizations I’ve had the pleasure of working with is Riverside Collective. Riverside Collective is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that works with students to develop their entrepreneurial and life skills through their co-operative coffee and ice cream shop project in South Jackson. Each student is a co-owner of the business, and they use a democratic system of decision making while making sure that everyone’s concerns and interests are addressed.

When Vilas Annavarapu, the founder of Riverside Collective approached me to help create a series of murals for their building, I was ecstatic! Once he explained the mission of Riverside Collective, I couldn’t refuse the opportunity to join in.

The project reflects the values of Riverside Collective which emphasized to the students to think about how they are not only caring for themselves but also others and the environment.

My job as the lead artist for the project was to draft the designs of the murals that would adorn the building and mix the paint the students and volunteers would then be using for the project. After a few sessions of listening deeply to the concerns of the students and a series of design revisions which emphasized inclusive diversity, the project began in earnest. Through the process of working with them, I learned to better empower others through my words and by allowing them to have the final say in the artistic process. When a student would ask my opinion about what they were working on, I would give my opinion after asking what their concerns were first. After that I would instruct them as needed.

It was a strangely freeing feeling to see them work on the actual wall that they co-created with me.

I’ve managed groups of artists on previous projects but this was the first project where no one considered themself an artist and the end result still came out amazing!

This project is nearing completion with only minor touch ups remaining.

The grand opening is happening on Saturday July 12th and I couldn’t be more proud of what they have achieved!