Journeys Toward Justice – Public Art as a Form of Activism and Untold Narratives of BIPOC Voices

Journeys Toward Justice is a multi-college collaboration spotlighting changemakers across the country who are driving justice and equity forward. The goal is to connect students, partners, and communities with one another and help us all understand the local and historical contexts of universal social justice issues and the work communities are doing.

Public Art as a Form of Activism and Untold Narratives of BIPOC Voices

Brandan “BMike” Odums is a New Orleans-based visual artist who, through exhibitions, public programs, and public art works, is engaged in a transnational dialogue about the intersection of art and resistance. From film to murals to installations, Odums’ work encapsulates the political fervor of a generation of Black American activists who came of age amidst the tenure of the nation’s first Black president, the resurgence of popular interest in law enforcement violence, and the emergence of the self-care movement. Most often working with spray paint, Odums paints brightly-colored, wall-sized murals that depict historical figures, contemporary creatives, and everyday people. In his otherwise figurative work, Odums departs from realism to play with color – blending lavender to paint the skin of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King and robin’s egg blue for Harriet Tubman, for instance – suggesting an ethos of boldness that unites the subjects of his work and surpasses race, time, or any other aspect of physical reality. Join us for conversation with BMike and Fredrick “Wood” Delahoussaye, the Artistic Director at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center of New Orleans, as we explore the use of Public Art in all spaces.

Speakers: Brandan “BMike” Odums, Lead Artist & Curator and Studio BE, and Frederick “Wood” Delahoussaye, Artistic Director at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center

Hosted by Tulane University’s Center for Public Service

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