The Boardman Arts Park in Delaware is inviting the community to participate in a unique art installation from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 27.
Created on a repurposed trampoline and positioned in the heart of Delaware at the Boardman Arts Park, 154 W. William St., Project Freedom will be a colorful and meaningful piece to attract, educate, comfort and inspire the community at large.
From afar, onlookers will see a mosaic butterfly created with a multitude of bright and neutral colors. Close up, it will become evident that tucked within this image are two fists breaking free from the chains which bind them. The neutral colors representing many different skin tones are to represent that people of every ethnicity deserve freedom and should not be property of another.
Miranda Lytle, Boardman Arts Park board member, envisioned this collaborative community effort, and Ohio artist Brooke Ripley was commissioned to bring her vision to life.
“Through my work with anti-trafficking efforts, I have come to understand that human trafficking, sex trafficking, and
subjugation affects people of all ages, races, genders, ethnicities and affluence,” Lytle said. “Enslavement isn’t just a crime of the past. It continues today; in different forms and in many communities — even our own. The butterfly has often been a symbol of freedom and beauty, people are drawn to its colors. Those who are enslaved yearn for the beauty of freedom. Brooke captured my vision of how two wrists, linked by shackles that are breaking away, abstractly resembles a butterfly.”
Ripley is a recent graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design whose public work centers on the intersection of social change and art. Her gallery work encompasses theories of consciousness and the impact of memory on perception. She is an advocate for sustainability and a current MFA candidate at Ohio University.
Project Freedom, sponsored by the Ohio Arts Council, will be painted and erected by volunteers from within the community. Anyone can drop by the park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 27 to paint a portion of the artwork and take part in this collaborative project. No artistic skills are needed, and supplies will be provided. The event is free.
