I have been selected to create an Ndebele inspired mural for Tacolcy, The Advisory Committee of Liberty City Youth. This is quite an honor. The Ndebele people are located in South Africa and are reknown for the beautiful and colorful patterns painted on their village homes and property walls. It is the women who create the paintings. The patterns as they are called, are abstract and have been passed down within a family from great-great grandmothers to their daughters for generations. The Ndebele paintings serve as a form of communication. Many of the compositions are painted to announce marriages, births and special events in the family. The Ndebele people were originally a part of the Zulu tribes. In the 1800's they broke away and formed their own group. During the early days the paintings were mainly communications of war, violence and the sadness over the loss of a battle. Over the years they evolved to what we see today, brightly colored geometric patterns and abstract compositions. Many of the Ndebele women still use the original tools to create the paintings. Their tools consist of twigs for brushes and a blend of sand, plants and other organic materials for pigment. The walls of white washed plaster serves as the canvas for the elaborately drawn patterns.
Yesterday, I met with Alison Austin, CEO of Tacolcy, and her staff to present my initial drawings and plans for mural. I had the opportunity to share a brief historical background of the Ndebele women artists and the artistic overview of the design plan. It was Alison's idea to use the Ndebele art as a reference for the mural. I have created six drawings to represent the mission and vision of Tacolcy. Once the design has been laid out on the 45 ft. wide x 8 ft. high wall, I will guide and direct 15 female lawyers through the painting of the colors for each section. These women will donate their time and resources to the mural painting as a contribution to Tacolcy. We are all very excited about the project. I will post updates throughout the mural production process.
