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The crew and I just returned from Louisville, KY where we painted a 7 story mural of one of my heroes and a son of Louisville, Muhammad Ali. Ali was an incredible athlete who was dazzling in the ring, a glorious showman athletically and verbally, and resilient in the face of defeat, earning the heavyweight title 3 times. However, in this mural, based on an incredible photo by Howard Bingham provided by his son Dustin (@dusbing), I wanted to emphasize Ali’s role as an outspoken citizen and activist. Ali was a civil rights activist, a conscientious objector to the the Vietnam war, a philanthropist, and a U.N. Messenger of Peace. I admire that Ali stood up for what he believed even when he potentially faced jail and the end of his boxing career. The Chestnut St. YMCA (@chestnutstreetymca) where we painted the mural is blocks from Ali’s childhood school and a place he frequented in his youth. I’m very grateful to the YMCA for providing an incredible wall with an authentic connection to Ali’s life. A project of this magnitude can’t come to fruition without a lot of people to collaborating generously. My friend of 25 years, Eddie Donaldson of Guerilla One (@guerillaone) led the charge on bringing this project together, as well as the Outside Influence art show to benefit Artists for Trauma. Eddie pulled together an amazing coalition of supporters including the Mayor, Danny Wimmer Presents, Kroger, and many others (Instagram tags mentioned below).
A big thanks to my crew of Dan Flores, Rob Zagula, and Jon Furlong, who also shot the great photos. Also, thank you to the city of Louisville for the warm welcome into the community and for giving me the privilege of adding to the cityscape. I met a ton of great local artists at the Outside Influence art show. Thank you all for the kind support!
–Shepard
@krogerco @phocus @mayorgregfischer @louisvilleforward @dannywimmerpresents @dannywimmer @fifteentwelve_portland @adidas@stanceofficial @solodomellc @indivisible_arts @spinellispizza_ @rangemp @kentuckypeerless @esoteric_collection @mayorcraiggreenberg @artistsfortrauma
@loumetropublicart
