Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith

Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith
Born (1991-01-13) January 13, 1991 (age 33)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Artist, creative director, muralist, NFT artist, curator
EmployerBay Area Mural Program
Known forMurals

Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith (born January 13, 1991)[1] is an American artist based in Oakland, California. She is known for her large-scale murals, and she is also the creative director of the Bay Area Mural Program.[2]

Works

Aerial shot of three city blocks. The words "black," "lives," and "matter" are in all capitol letters, one word on the street per block.
The Black Lives Matter mural in San Francisco done in part by Bay Area Mural Program

During the spring and summer of 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, Wolfe-Goldsmith was among the many artists who painted murals in response to the killing on pieces of plywood covering storefronts in downtown Oakland. Her piece on 15th St. is called We Can Breathe.[3] During this time, the Bay Area Mural Program, with Wolfe-Goldsmith as creative director, and African American Arts & Culture Complex organized the Black Lives Matter mural in San Francisco, which ran for three city blocks.[2][4]

The group She Will Rise, which is working to get a Black woman on the United States Supreme Court, commissioned Wolfe-Goldsmith to paint a mural in Washington, DC. Completed in October 2020, the work features Black women judges and activists.[5]

In November 2020, it was announced that Wolfe-Goldsmith would be painting a mural focusing on social justice with fellow muralist Joshua Mays. The mural was commissioned by Kaiser Permanente and ABG Art Group, and was displayed outside of Kaiser's offices in downtown Oakland before a planned move to Liberation Park.[6] Also in downtown Oakland, Wolfe-Goldsmith has painted a 3-story mural of artist Stoney Creation and model Yanni Brump.[7]

In February 2021, West Oakland homeowner and curator Jilchristina Vest commissioned Wolfe-Goldsmith to paint a mural of women in the Black Panther Party on the side of her house at Center and 9th Streets.[8] The 30-foot mural is based on several photographs taken by Stephen Shames and portrays Delores Henderson, Angie Johnson, Lauren Williams, and Williams's daughter Mary. The mural currently features the names of over 300 women, and is planned to be 2,000 square feet when completed. Black Panther leader Ericka Huggins was consulted on the project.[9][10][11][12][13]

References

  1. ^ "Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith An American Artist". bcx.news.
  2. ^ a b McLean, Tessa (June 12, 2020). "Black Lives Matter mural spans 3 blocks in San Francisco". SF Gate.
  3. ^ Brady, Alex (July 25, 2020). "What is the fate of Black Lives Matter protest murals?". Salon.
  4. ^ James, Julissa (July 11, 2020). "Bay Area Change Agents". Nob Hill Gazette.
  5. ^ Barber, Timothy (October 25, 2020). "PHOTOS: Mural painted in Shaw pushes for more women of color in the Supreme Court". ABC7.
  6. ^ Burbank, Keith (November 6, 2020). "Big Mural Being Created To Support Social Justice Efforts". SF Gate.
  7. ^ Harshaw, Pendarvis (October 9, 2020). "Yanni Will Eat You Up and Make You Love Yourself". KQED.
  8. ^ "Black Panther Party women honored in West Oakland mural by Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith". The Mercury News. 2021-02-13. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  9. ^ Nzinga, Ayodele (February 28, 2021). "'A mural that celebrates Black joy': Oakland home honors women of the Black Panther party". The Guardian.
  10. ^ Toussaint, Jensen (2021-06-16). "A new exhibit honoring the Black Panther Party is opening in Oakland on Juneteenth". AL DÍA News. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  11. ^ "Black Panther Party museum to open on Juneteenth". TheGrio. 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  12. ^ Oakland, Ayodele Nzinga in (2021-02-28). "'A mural that celebrates Black joy': Oakland home honors women of the Black Panther party". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  13. ^ Aaron, Kumasi (2021-02-26). "West Oakland mural first to honor women of the Black Panther Party". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved 2021-06-29.