Cincinnati Artist Collective Creates Sculptural Series that Spells Out Black Lives Matter

A giant sculpture will soon rise in Roselawn at the corner of Reading and Section roads as part of a citywide art installment. The 10-foot “R” sculpture, created by Annie Ruth, is the first installation of 16 giant-letter sculptures and an exclamation point that will appear in various places around Cincinnati, eventually spelling “Black Lives Matter!”

In a celebration of community, strength and diversity in Cincinnati, the work is part of local artist collective Black Art Speaks’ sculptural series. A dedication ceremony will take place in Roselawn on Thursday, May 2 at 11 a.m. when the “R” will be unveiled.

The works are inspired by two of Black Art Speaks’ own creations, Cincinnati’s Black Lives Matter mural and Alandes Powell's poem "We Want What You Want.”

Each of the giant letter installations will resemble about 70%

of the original artwork seen on the respective letters in the Black Lives Matter mural in front of City Hall on Plum Street, executive director of Black Art Speaks, Powell, tells CityBeat . The “R,” designed by renowned artist Ruth, aims to change the “biased perception of Black men” and what they represent, Powell says. Along with the sculptures, programming surrounding each letter’s initiative is also part of the sculptural series.

Ruth is a founding member of Black Art Speaks, as well as an internationally known artist. She is the project manager for many of the collective’s installations and projects. Powell tells CityBeat that she plays a huge role in the organization.

“Because of all [Ruth] does for Roselawn, for this community, how talented she is and the fact that she created the first letter that stands up is amazing to me,” Powell says. “So she continues to not just explode in her craft, but just for her community, and how much she loves Roselawn, how much

she loves being an advocate for Black artists and Black children and what we can do to help them. She is just taking that by storm.”

The next two sculptures slated for installation are “A” and “!.” The “A” will appear in Avondale near the end of May or the beginning of June; it represents the issue of gun violence, Powell says. The exclamation point will be installed in June in the West End of Cincinnati.

“How can we have deeper dialogue using art and actually continue this conversation removing the noise of Black Lives Matter, but still making sure the movement is important? How do we take some of that political piece out of it and make people really understand our hearts?" Powell says. "So in Roselawn, just taking the ‘R,’ knowing that it's about the bias of Black men and how important it is for them to see the beauty in themselves and for other people to be so inclined to see it as well, is just one piece of Black Lives Matter. So the vision and the hope is that we can have these courageous conversations and dialogue using the beauty of art to change us and change how people see us. It's an internal peace and external.”

For more information about Black Art Speaks and its programming visit blackartspeaks.com.