Artist Esan Sommersell Mural Emphasizes The Importance of Generational Wealth and Mental Health
If you walk through Southeast and Southwest Grand Rapids, you will see seven new murals on Black and Brown owned buildings that have been painted by Black and Brown artists. The murals were are part of nonprofit The Dia tribes 49507 Project, a collaborative effort focused on shifting the perception of the 49507 zip code towards positivity. Diatribe uses performing arts to empower young people to share their stories to raise awareness of social issues and to be active members of their community. The murals were painted over the last several week, after a summer of community listening sessions.
One of the artists involved in the Diatribe's 49507 Zip Code Project is Esan sommersell, who painted a mural that is located at 2012 Eastern Ave. SE. In this interview with the Grand Rapids Times Esan discusses how he got involved with the non-profit and what was the inspiration behind the mural that he painted.
GRT: How did you get involve with the Diatribe?
Esan Sommersell: The executive Director Marcel Price introduced me to the organization when it was first conceived. He kind of filled my head with this vision of what it could be currently and years afterwards. It intrigued me as I watched him build it up from start to finish.
GRT: How did you come up with the concept for the mural that you painted?
Esan Sommersell: I found out that the building that I would be painted my mural on was a bank previously so it made me think about wealth, especially generational wealth, which is not common among people in Black communities. That inspired me to make a piece that is not only about Black wealth but also about Black mental health, because we have a lot of generational curses and one of those things is our mental health that can prevent a lot of us from reaching our full potential. In the painting and the artwork, you can see that there are many different shades of Black folks smiling and their smiles are sitting among this tremendous wealth that has been handed down to them through their ancestors. It symbolizes that your health is just as important as your wealth.
Tagged in: