WORCESTER - The work of 17 local artists who contributed their time, talent and support to the Black Lives Matter mural on Major Taylor Boulevard will be featured in an ArtsWorcester exhibition called Beyond the Paint.

Beyond the Paint will be on view from Aug. 14 to Sept. 13 in the North Corridor, directly next to ArtsWorcesters main galleries, at 44 Portland St.

A team of artists and hundreds of volunteers painted the Black Lives Matter mural on the pavement near the DCU Center on July 15. Each letter in the slogan has a unique design.

The exhibit is really to highlight the artists that helped with the mural, said Em Quiles, president of PaLante Latinx Moving Forward, a co-organizer of the Black Lives Matter mural, and the curator of the exhibit. When we organized the Black Lives Matter mural, we assigned one artist per letter, and each artist came up with their own design, and a lot of volunteers came out to help them bring their vision to life. Among those volunteers were artists, so this exhibit is to showcase those artists who helped the lead artists do their letters.

Seventeen items, one from each artist, will be showcased in the exhibit. Quiles said Monday that she didnt yet have specifics about the mediums.

The Black Lives Matter mural is a powerful artwork made by many artists working in solidarity, and this partnership is a way for us to thank them for their gift to this city, said Juliet Feibel, executive director of ArtsWorcester, in a news release. The anti-racism of the Black Lives Matter movement challenges ArtsWorcester to be more intentional about how we reach and work with artists, and we thank Ms. Quiles for the opportunity to do so.

The artists featured in Beyond the Paint are Amora Andino, Mr. Boom, Jennessa Burks, Joshua Croke, Slim Dawg, Narvicto DeJesus, Brian Denahy, Fogger, Alexandria Marie, Olivia Melendez, Emma Mesa-Melendez, Arli Ortiz, Edmy Ortiz, Jailene Ramos, Edgardo Rodriguez, Laura Steinman and Amber Totorelli.

We wanted to really highlight their experiences and what it meant to them to be part of such a historic event here in Worcester, Quiles said, and what it meant for them not only to be part of the mural, but of the whole Black Lives Matter movement as an artist.

Also, Quiles continued, this exhibit is going to help with ArtsWorcester and build the bridges, the relationships, with local artists. The majority of the lead artists for the mural were Black and the majority of the supporting artists were Latino, so when working with ArtsWorcester we wanted to make sure Black and brown artists have a space in their galleries as well and they feel welcomed. This is a way for them to get their feet wet with the gallery and for ArtsWorcester to show their appreciation for these artists.

All visitors to ArtsWorcester must wear masks. No appointments are required, but only five people are allowed to be in the North Corridor at any one time. ArtsWorcester gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.

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Beyond the Paint in Worcester to showcase Black Lives Matter mural artists - Worcester Telegram