Mural will be done inside the Douglass Activity Center

 Artist EuGene V Byrd III will begin work this week on a 14’ wide mural representing the Black community in Manhattan. The mural will be located inside the new Douglass Activity Center (DAC) at 925 Yuma Street. Byrd expects the work to take 8-12 days to complete. When finished, the mural will be covered temporarily and then unveiled as part of the Juneteenth celebration on June 19, 2021.

Byrd, who was born in Wichita and now lives in Atlanta, GA, was selected by members of the Douglass Center Advisory Board based on the quality of his artist proposal.  The mural’s theme will speak to the cultural and historical legacy of the area while celebrating and honoring the strength and resilience of the Black community. This public art will celebrate social justice, the creative cultural landscape, and changing attitudes toward racial equality.

“I always wanted to come back home and have a show or create public art for my home state, the opportunity was never there. I gave up on the idea, until I came across this submission and I felt like it was GOD ’s plan,” said artist Eugene V Byrd III.