Contrary to Popular Belief, Mending Walls is NOT a Public Art Project!
The team at Mending Walls has some big news to share, but first, brace yourself for this reality check from me: I know what you thought Mending Walls was, but it ain't that!
Mending Walls is NOT about the art.
Let's set a few things straight. You may have heard about Mending Walls in the news or come across the murals spread throughout Richmond, and you might think this project is just about making the city a little more colorful. Don't get me wrong—the murals turn heads and cause pauses for pictures, but the murals are just the surface. The real focus has always been on the conversations and people behind the art, tackling the tough stuff like racial injustice, equity, and healing.
And here’s where the big news comes in: Mending Walls is officially a 501(c)(3) nonprofit! This new status is a game-changer, putting us in a better position to apply pressure in our community for even more impactful work. It opens doors to apply for grants and secure resources, letting us push harder, go further, and bring more people into these difficult conversations.
This status means that every dollar you donate to our projects goes even further in supporting our community. Oh, and by the way, I'm happy to tell you that your donations are tax-deductible because your support makes our work possible, and we value it big time!
This is a huge milestone. So, make no mistake: The murals are visual records of in-depth talks transforming our community and inspiring hope and ongoing change. Look at the stories behind a few murals to see how deep they go.
Learning from the Past to Build a Better Future
One of the first mural collaborations in 2020, Spirit of Sankofa by Ian C. Hess and I, Jowarnise, painted at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, embodies learning from the past to shape a better future. The Sankofa is an Adinkra symbol for the Akan proverb, "Se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenkyiri," which loosely translates as "to go back and fetch it," a reminder to reclaim and learn from the lessons of history.
The mural tells the story of Marcus-David Peters, a man whose life was tragically cut short in a mental health crisis. His story is not just his own. His story speaks to the broader conversation about how mental health and generational trauma continue to impact the African American community. The profile of a woman facing left as though looking into the past represents this collective history. Her locs are adorned with symbols and historical markers, creating a timeline of African American history that stretches from slavery to civil rights.
One often-overlooked detail is the subtle nod to the CROWN Act— a groundbreaking law Virginia passed to end hair discrimination. The locs in the mural serve as a reminder of the struggles Black women and men have faced to embrace their natural hair without societal backlash. Much like the CROWN Act, the mural is a step toward reclaiming identity and human dignity. In this way, Spirit of Sankofa isn't just a piece of art on a wall; it's a statement of resilience and hope for the future. It asks us to reckon with the past so we can create a more just future.
Sustaining Agriculture and Resilient Food Systems in Food Deserts
Another mural that digs deep into a community issue is African American Gothic—a 2020 collaboration between Sone-Seeré and Andre Shank. Inspired by the famous painting American Gothic, this piece focuses on the serious problem of food deserts, which severely lack access to affordable, healthy food. This mural emphasizes the importance of sustainable agriculture and food systems in African American communities, addressing systemic neglect in underserved neighborhoods. The imagery may be bold and eye-catching, but its conversation is even more compelling: How do we build systems that ensure everyone can access healthy food?
African American Gothic
mural collaboraton by Sone-Seeré and Andre Shank, 2020
“We were also thrilled at the opportunity to bring attention to the important work that Duron and Nikiya [Chavis] do to serve the Richmond community through sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems.”
Fast forward to 2021, and the same theme resurfaces in the mural The Golden Hour | NeoGenesis, a collaboration between Ron Stokes and Sarah Apple painted at the Sankofa Community Orchard. The mural spotlights the lack of food access in Richmond’s predominantly Black neighborhoods and points toward solutions like urban farming. The orchard is a community-led initiative that embodies self-sufficiency, providing fresh food where grocery stores fail. Like the orchard, the artists wanted to show that nourishing a community means more than just putting food on the table—it's about building systems of care that last.
Sarah Apple and Ron Stokes collaborated on the first two paintings at the Sankofa Community Orchard, The Golden Hour and NeoGenesis, in 2021 as part of the Mending Walls initiative.
Both murals remind us we cannot ignore our communities' basic needs. They were born from conversations about Richmond's lack of food access in predominantly Black neighborhoods, often led by food justice advocates and orchard founders Duron and Nikiya Chavis. Access to food isn’t just a privilege; it’s a right.
Demanding Clean Air in Underserved, Black and Brown Neighborhoods
In 2021, Barry O'Keefe and Mahari Chebwara teamed up to create the mural WE WANT CLEAN AIR, WE WANT GOOD FOOD, WE WANT PEACE. This mural was inspired by their eye-opening trip around Southside Richmond with Mr. Mookie from Virginia Community Voices, a community leader who shared the hidden history of neighborhoods like Bellmeade and Blackwell.
Often underserved and neglected, these neighborhoods face the highest pollution and environmental injustice rates. Residents have long been denied basic human rights of clean air and healthy living conditions. The mural is an urgent call for immediate action and environmental justice in Black and Brown communities disproportionately affected by industrial pollution.
For Barry and Mahari, the mural was more than a painting—it was a way to amplify the voices of those fighting for their right to breathe clean air and live in a healthier environment. And if that doesn't make you think twice about the impact of this project, nothing will.
Mending Walls: More Than Just Murals
The media often hypes up the murals, and from the outside looking in, it's easy to think that our goal is simply to paint the city. But let's be clear: each piece of art represents a conversation about social justice, healing, and progress. Creating collaborative public art involves a lot of groundwork, ensuring that the voices and stories of community members directly impacted are accurately represented from start to finish and that the resulting work keeps cueing up significant discussions that do more than symbolize the community's resilience so recurring problems aren't ignored.
Since day one, we have focused on bringing people together, giving them a reason to sit down, share their stories, and listen—especially those who wouldn't usually cross paths. Because we aim to mend our community, one conversation at a time, the real magic happens when we use a universal language tool to ease people into genuine discussion about social matters with someone unlike themselves.
The Real Takeaway?
Mending Walls isn’t here just to paint murals. We’re here to connect people, start tough conversations in public that lead to real understanding, and remind everyone that change doesn’t happen through art alone but by people coming together, listening, and taking action. Your support helps expand our reach and bring even more people into the fold to speak up for change.
So, stick with us if you want to be part of something greater that mends our community's divides. This next chapter of Mending Walls is about way more than simply painting walls and making the city look good—it’s about creating lasting impact.
Your support helps expand our reach and ease even more people into discussing topics that are usually too taboo to discuss publicly anywhere in communities. It has reached students in the classroom and families in the living rooms.
Want to celebrate and support the real work we’re doing? Head over to our donation page, and let’s continue to build something meaningful together.
