The Campaign for Southern Equality, an Asheville-based LGBTQ+ nonprofit, has debuted a new mural in downtown Asheville. Intended as a message of support for transgender youth, the mural reads, “You are powerful, you are loved.” Liz Williams, creative director of Southern Equality Studios, an art program of the Campaign for Southern Equality, says that this mural comes at a time of “unprecedented attack on the LGBTQ+ community,” particularly here in North Carolina. “We’re in a moment of crisis for transgender youth and their families,” says Williams. “More than 70 anti-LGBTQ bills have become law in 2023, and the vast majority of these target transgender youth. We also know that it’s a time of unprecedented public support for transgender equality, and so we wanted to amplify that support through public art like this mural.”
Photo by Camille Nevarez- Hernandez
The mural is located at Foundation Studios in the River Arts District and the wall previously featured a portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Ian Wilkinson. When the portrait was vandalized, Wilkinson didn’t have the bandwidth to complete a new one immediately, but wanted the damaged mural to be covered up, so he gave the space to Southern Equality Studios for six months. The short timeline informed a simpler design and process for the mural. “We were inspired by Chip Thomas [aka Jetsonorama], who uses ‘wheat pasting’ for mural work,” says Williams. “This is basically using flour and water to adhere designs to walls. We wanted to make it a bit longer lasting though, so we used an acrylic media method. We printed the design out onto 150 different sheets of paper, 11 by 17 inches, and then assembled them on the wall and added an additional varnish for protection.”
The mural was made by a team of artists including Williams, Leslie Rosenberg, Chuck Gutiérrez, Crain Cutler-Gutiérrez, Camille Nevarez-Hernandez and Ethan Schultz, with support from the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA) STEAM Studio. “Ever since I came across the work of muralist Jetsonorama, I’ve been interested in exploring wheat-pasted murals,” says Rosenberg, an instructor and studio technician at UNCA STEAM Studio who served as lead assistant on the mural. “Having worked on several painted murals, I was excited to participate in this Southern Equality Studios wheat-pasted mural. This mural sends a powerful and supportive message to trans youth, one that they need to hear, especially right now during this time of crisis.”
The mural is intended not only to send a loving message to trans youth but also to inspire people to be loud and public about their support of this community. “I really encourage people to do their research and tune into this critical time,” says Williams. “Everyone can make a difference by taking small steps to be more inclusive. We encourage everyone to introduce themselves by sharing their name and also their pronouns, such as he/him, she/her or they/them. This helps others feel safe enough to share their pronouns and they appreciate knowing that you won’t assume their gender.”
See the new mural at Foundation Studios, 27 Foundy Street, Asheville. Learn more about the Campaign for Southern Equality at SouthernEquality.org
