Artists Paint Murals On Boarded-Up Lake Street Businesses To Help Community Heal
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Several businesses along the Lake Street corridor are boarded up ahead the upcoming verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial.
The wooden boards are a reminder of the unrest in Minneapolis last summer, so local artists are painting the blank boards at Midtown Global Market into colorful murals.
One of the artists, Simone Alexa, says it's a way to relieve some of the tension and help people process their emotions going into next week.
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While these artists are painting the boards to heal others, they're also helping themselves process the recent shooting death of Daunte Wright.
"It made me sick, like I couldn't sleep, and it wasn't until I started planning these murals and just planning on doing something that I felt like I could get some rest," Alexa said. "And I think that energy really transfers from me into the piece, and other people can feel that too when they see it."
The artists encourage people who see them along Lake Street to join in on the painting.
These mural projects are part of a collaboration between local artists and the nonprofit RealMPLS. You can help fund them here.