These guys are on the way to start this John Lewis mural in Rochester and have raised about 75% of their goal. 100% would ensure all their costs are covered. Consider chipping in. http://gofundme.com/f/john-lewis-mural
Thatâs Sarah Rutherford up there with Rochester native Ephraim Gebre. This isnât her project, sheâs just assisting the team with the prep work and mural.
If you look just above their heads, you can start to see the outline of the late Congressman John Lewis
The mural on State Street is based on a photograph by Danny Lyon of John Lewis in 1963. The outline of Lewis happened in the overnight hours.
Ephraim Gebre talking with media this afternoon about the John Lewis mural heâs working on with a group of artists on State Street.
Ephraim, a Rochester native, credits a lot of his beginning as an artist to @shawndunwoody. Shawn stopped by to check in and offer his support in the days ahead.
Ephraim talking about the first time he met @shawndunwoody as a 10th grader when he saw the man in a colorful suit talking to seniors. With a lot of persistence, he would go on to work on a few projects with Shawn, building his confidence as an artist.
The wall received a bit of media attention throughout the day â @WillCleveland13 from @DandC, @jamesbrowntv from @WXXINews, and @SPECNewsROC all stopped by.
Also, some progress throughout the day as reinforcements arrived. Thatâs Dan and JD, continuing to prep the wall. If you ride by it looks like a giant coloring number page but itâs actually a technique the crew learned at their day job painting billboards.
Iâm not even going to try to explain the process but itâs an old school process and cool as hell to watch. This is how the mural took shape. @shawndunwoody got in on some of the action when he stopped down today.
Location matters, and thereâs significance with my this spot for the John Lewis mural was sought after.
One immediate connection to the mural on State Street, named âI Am Speaking,â is that the wall is steps from where Corinthian Hall stood and where in 1852 Frederick Douglass delivered one of his most famous speeches, âWhat to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?â
In 1895, the funeral for Douglass was held a few blocks away. Both spots have statues of Douglass by Olivia Kim that Ephraim said he assisted on along with other volunteers a few years ago.
The mural is also around the corner from City Hall, the site of several protests this year, including Occupy City Hall. In September, State Street was one of the places Rochester police clashed with protestors who were protesting the death of Daniel Prude.
Itâs going to be powerful having this mural of Danny Lyonâs image of Lewis in 1963 in Rochester. Iâm sure thereâs even more connections to this space. Jason Barber and muralist Sarah Rutherford were instrumental in securing this location, working closely with the building owners.
I donât like heights and being in a lift can be a bit rocky, but jumped onboard to capture a little of the action.
They worked in two man crews throughout the day â JD and Darius on one lift, Dan and Ephraim on the other.
Both lifts are equipped with multiple reference images of Lewis that the teams use as their blueprint for their work.
3 out of the 4 artists arenât from Rochester. Theyâre all friends who are hitting each otherâs hometown to complete these murals sparked by the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Roc has been welcoming, bringing food / drink. Yesterday featured the intro to @uglyduckcoffee
I try to avoid being in the frame, but my good friend Molly stopped by to see the progress and caught me in action

Just about halfway through, itâs been a pleasure to ride along with these guys and documenting the process. Theyâre amazingly talented and a cool group. Truly an honor. And thank you folks for following along.
A few members of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity stopped by yesterday to see the mural of their brother John Lewis in action, and brought lunch for the crew.
Visitors stop by all day since these guys started work on State Street, bringing food, drink and good vibes. Yesterday, some of Ephraimâs family stopped by to see the Rochester native in action.
âWe may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us.â - John Lewis
Shoutout to the squad behind the work â Ephraim, Darius, Dan and Jared.
Shoutout to the squad behind the work â Ephraim, Darius, Dan and Jared.

