Never Look Away
Item
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Title
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Never Look Away
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Rights
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Copyright Kyra Watkins
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Type
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StillImage
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Creator
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Watkins, Kyra
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Date
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2021
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Description
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The main theme of this mural centers around community. Community can function like a warm, colorful blanket, enveloping us and pushing us towards growth. My hope is that Portland can one day be the type of community depicted here—one that supports and lifts us—a colorful body that brings us joy. There are also symbols throughout "Never Look Away" which speak to the individual stories of the folks depicted. 44 stars—a symbol inspired by the Star House, created by Marsha P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera—pay homage to the 44 reported trans lives lost in the United States last year. On Marsha's right, doves, the bird of peace, fly up out of flames and into freedom. Below the birds and just to the right is an eye, representing the work of Kathleen Saadat, who has worked tirelessly for years to advance equality in Oregon—not just for the LGBTQ+ community, but for women’s equality and Black rights as well. She has been called the the “social conscience of Oregon”. Just under Rupert Kinnard, we see his groundbreaking characters the Brown Bomber and the Diva Touche Flambe, the first recurring, Black, LGBTQ+ comic book characters.
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Description source
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Format
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image/jpeg
1440 × 864 pixels
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Language
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English
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Place
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Portland, Oregon
DeSoto Building
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Extent
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1.1 MB
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Identifier
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88668b7905acf8d51af1adcf0935b9e8
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Relation
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Regional Arts & Culture Council
Regional Arts & Culture Council Mural Program
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Subject
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public art
mural paintings (visual works)
LGBTQ+ activism
LGBTQ+ comics
Black LGBTQ+ people
Johnson, Marsha P., 1945-1992
Kinnard, Rupert, 1954-
Nakamoto, Lynn
Saadat, Kathleen
LGBTQ+ arts
BIPOC
Black feminism
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Temporal Coverage
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2021
Never Look Away