URBANFronts

The Reynoldstown Mural

Placemaking + Belonging | Celebrate Community + Cultural Identity | Outreach + Impact Creating a dialogue through art From the prehistoric animal paintings in France’s ChauvetPont-d’Arc Cave to Banksy’s Girl with Balloon in London to the Black Lives Matter mural in Washington, D.C., murals have been part of our cultural landscape for thousands of years. Murals in communities are a mode of Above: Mural Duddle expression for artists and can become centerpieces that bring people together to celebrate heritage, history, health, and home. A growing body of research has positively identified murals with social, cultural, and economic benefits as well as positive mental health and a way to promote the various community characteristics in a synergistic way. Through their visual aesthetic, a mural can promote a sense of identity and belonging that can help create a welcoming feeling, strengthen the community, and celebrate the culture of the neighborhood. More importantly, they can create a dialogue around any subject or issue and can act as collective thought spaces. Mission: Placemaking + Belonging In the summer of 2020, much of the world was shocked and saddened by the injustices and racial inequities in the United States that were brought to the forefront following the death of George Floyd. Many cities embraced the power of art to identify place, communicate a message, and provide a sense of belonging to their residents. An effort by YAF of Atlanta began in 2020 to reimagine URBANFronts and do just that. In the words of AIA National, “We support and are committed to efforts to ensure that our profession is part of the solution that finally dismantles systemic racial injustice and violence – the legacy of one of the Unites States’ original sins, slavery.” We live in the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement and believe that it is our duty to join the fight for racial equity… by creating a dialogue through art. Our mission is clear – to celebrate the legacy of the neighborhood while creating a sense of belonging for the community members. A big thank you to Millcreek Residential for supporting our mission by donating the canvas, a 35’ x 13’ brick wall at their Modera Reynoldstown Property at 780 Memorial Drive.

History of Reynoldstown Reynoldstown is a historic district on the eastside of Atlanta, Georgia. The neighborhood dates back to the American Civil War as freed slaves who were employed by the railroad settled in the community. Madison and Sarah Reynolds were among the first ex-slaves who settled into the neighborhood, and it is believed that the neighborhood is named after them. While the fabric of Reynoldstown has changed drastically over the last few years, the Reynoldstown Civic Improvement League (RCIL) passionately advocates for preserving the history while celebrating the diverse future of the neighborhood. The RCIL was also a large supporter of our mission and provided a platform for YAF to engage with the residents and involve them in the planning and design of the mural.

Our purpose One main purpose of URBANFronts: The Reynoldstown Mural was to create a sense of belonging and use art as a placemaking tool. This mural would act as a marker and gateway into the neighborhood given its location at Modera Reynoldstown.

The second purpose was to celebrate the community and the diverse cultural identities of the residents, the founders, the historic fabric, and ultimately the future of Reynoldstown. Our last purpose was to allow and encourage conversation between local architects and the residents. In forming relationships and providing opportunities to educate local communities about art and architecture, we hope to have sparked interest and create a general awareness of the profession.

Community engagement Our goal to create belonging and celebrate the community would have been unattainable without the immense support of the residents of Reynoldstown and without the artistic vision

Above: Paint Hands

Above: Mural proof

of the muralist, Aysha Pennerman. After hearing our mission and goals, Aysha spent several days walking the streets of Reynoldstown and engaging with the residents. She had the opportunity to sit down with some of the legacy residents of Reynoldstown and hear their stories, which is when she formulated the phrase “the eyes are the window to the soul.”

The soulful memories and stories of a rich past informed the mural design. The left eye depicts the original map of Reynoldstown from the 1890s and the right eye shows some of the historic buildings in the neighborhood like the I.P. Reynolds Building, St. Philip African Methodist Episcopal Church, and a shotgun house (a popular home structure in the 1900s where the front porch provides a straight view through the house to the backyard. Some scholars believe that these designs can be traced back to African architecture). The foreground shows the diverse ages, races, and beliefs of the residents that Pennerman engaged with while walking around the neighborhood; these informed the words “Togetherness,

Love, Community” depicted on the mural.

In 2021, one year after the inception of this idea, YAF hosted a paint day to celebrate Juneteenth (commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans) and the 150th anniversary of Reynoldstown. We had over 50 volunteers ranging from 6 to 60 years old show up to help paint the

Above: Painting Above: Group photo

mural. Residents, business owners, architects, artists, children, and even district representatives joined us in creating this masterpiece.

Note from the author The world is a prettier place thanks to people who support the arts and believe in its power.

Thank you to Millcreek Residential for donating the canvas and to RCIL for your support. Thank you to our sponsors – Prime Engineering, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, Fravert, Kimley Horn, May Architecture, Controlled Access, Sherwin Williams, and AHA Consulting Engineers. A sincere thank you to the Board of the Architecture Foundation of Georgia who awarded YAF the IMPACT grant and made this event possible. A special thank you to AIA Atlanta for their support and Aysha Pennerman for her passion and vision. Lastly, a huge

Heli Shah, Assoc. AIA, NOMA

Shah is a designer in the K-12 Studio at Cooper Carry in Atlanta, Georgia. She is an advisor for the AIA GA CKLDP, the 2023 Statewide Associate Representative (StAR) for Georgia, and the recipient of the AIA Atlanta John. A. Busby Jr, Exceptional Young Architect Award.