I have some knowledge of graffiti - mostly from researching in previous jobs and borrowed knowledge from more specialised curators. This is a really interesting read, looking at the connection between activism and art (within an American context), unfortunately I read this on my very old kindle paper white, which although perfectly fine for novels, didn’t really lend itself to the images in the book (or images at all). This is definitely something I would buy and re-read as a physical book and certainly something I’d recommend for my local contemporary art gallery.

I had no idea what the Wall of Respect was until I came upon this title on Netgalley. The description was a delight so the next step was very easy for me. Click, I want to read and review it right now, please.

The Wall of Respect is a detailed account of a Chicago monument that sadly doesn't exist since 1971. It all started in 1967 by the Organisation of Black American Culture, a collective of artists, painters, philosophers, poets etc, people who felt oppressed but shared a respectful vision, to paint a mural of important black people and celebrate in that way the beauty and uniqueness of their lives.

That wasn't an easy task, but it came to fruition, turned to a very successful place and is still memorable. A place that used to be a gathering point for people to demonstrate or a must to visit if you were a tourist. The book delves into the process the artists followed, the people that were featured on the Wall and of course it entails tidbits, facts and untold stories around the significant monument.


THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK

- The book contains poems about the wall.
- A detailed list of everyone featured. And everyone who worked on it.
- The artists had different categories to work on.
- I liked the writing style.
- New scenes were added later on...
- Some of the categories were: Rhythm and Blues, Religion, Literature, Theater, Jazz, Sports, Statesmen.

This book finally rights the wrong of not detailing the rich history of such a prolific lost Chicago monument! It delves into the work of the Organization of Black American Culture, reviewing how painters and photographers worked on portraits of Black trailblazers, including Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali. Quite simply, everyone should be exploring this text to learn of this phenomenon!