When New Haven artist Kwadwo Adae proposed painting a three-story mural of orchids on the side of a family shelter in New Haven, he wanted his art to be a part of the community that surrounded it.
During the final stages of painting, he measured out where he could reach and then left everything under that area blank.
Last Friday, kids staying at the shelter helped him finish the mural.
“Our society doesn’t allow kids to do a lot of things … kids want to help,” Adae said. “They want to have control over their environments. They want to be able to change their communities just as much as we do.”
Ryan Caron King
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Connecticut Public
![Aasiah Jusino-Baez, 4, gets covered in lavender-colored paint as he puts his personal touch on the mural. This is one of several murals Adae has created around town, in an effort to paint murals in Black and brown communities that have been historically targeted by redlineding. “Those are places that have been starved of resources, underdeveloped economically, places where things like thing can brighten people’s dispositions, brighten their day.” Boilerplate caption: New Haven artist Kwadwo Adae puts the finishing touches on a mural he’s been working on in the Hill neighborhood of New Haven - with the help of several kids living in the shelter the mural is painted on. When Adae was writing the grant that would eventually fund the project, he said it was under the premise that “everyone deserves to go home to flowers.” “The fact that sometimes you’re in a shelter even though you don’t plan on it, that turns your life upside-down,” he said. “Even though your life is upside-down, those flowers are for you.” This is one of several murals Adae has created around town - in an effort to paint murals in Black and brown communities that have been redlined. “Those are places that have been starved of resources, underdeveloped economically, places where things like thing can brighten people’s dispositions, brighten their day.”](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d6eb20c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1996+0+0/resize/880x585!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4c%2Fbc%2F1fc653154a798451df173ba82667%2F220806-kwadwo-adae-mural-rck2223-1x.jpg)
Ryan Caron King
/
Connecticut Public
“The fact that sometimes you’re in a shelter even though you don’t plan on it – that turns your life upside down,” Adae said as he looked up at the mural. “Even though your life is upside down, those flowers are for you.”
Ryan Caron King
/
Connecticut Public
Ryan Caron King
/
Connecticut Public
Ryan Caron King
/
Connecticut Public
“What happens is whenever you’re in a new place you’re not sure of – people are like, ‘Oh, you’re going there? Oh, be careful … you might get mugged.’ All these rumors and hearsay happen, and it’s just always the opposite,” Adae said. “It’s always just lovely, wonderful people who are living their lives and happy you’re there consistently to create something for them.”
Ryan Caron King
/
Connecticut Public