Public art unifies Atlanta with inspirational banners

Beginning in 2017 by curators in Philadelphia, Campana has evolved Signs of Solidarity into commissioning 30 local artists to create uplifting banners for metro Atlanta.

The project will consist of 25 hand-painted banners and five digital banners. What started as a personal investment has expanded to help artists struggling with work during the pandemic.

“We are happy that in all of this, we are supporting artists,” Campana said. “Our priority is to keep providing work. It has become such a healing process for all of us.”

The project started as an expressive way for Campana to cope with quarantining as she hung her painted banner outside her apartment window. After receiving positive feedback from her neighbors, Campana knew she wanted to help others, too.

Next month, Living Walls plans to install a painted mural at the Atlanta Medical Center to display positivity for healthcare workers.

“Most artists working for this project are artists of color and queer artists, and not because we want it, it’s just because that’s the work that we do and the artists that we want to feature,” she said. “I hope that people realize that in all of the work we are doing, it is very important for us to put the stories of everyone and that the healing and the positivity should not just be directed to one kind of person because that’s often when we miss the mark.”

Living Walls has facilitated close to 200 murals in the city of Atlanta during its 10 years of existence, Campana said. Displays are free and open to the public year-round.

Serving as a place for artists to effect change, Campana said diversity and inclusion is a “no-brainer” for the nonprofit.

“We put ourselves through open and honest and harsh conversations when it comes to race and economic status and diversity and all of those topics that people usually don’t want to talk about,” she said. “I feel like if we are doing community work, we have to be in a place where we are comfortable understanding the privilege we have and the work we have to do.”

To donate or learn more about Living Walls, The City Speaks, go to www.livingwallsatl.com.

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