Contact 1985poet@gmail.com for Mural booking.
October 2018
New Orleans Southern Christian Leadership Conference Mural dedication to MLK Jr and the SCLC. Location: New Orleans, La. Central City.
Commissioned by The Felicity Group with support of the New Orleans SCLC Chapter.
Central City became my home. I watched children get home from school and run around me as if I was their age. I got to know the neighbors and their concerns. I watched the A.L. Davis football team practice. And I’m sure I was asked at least 60 times what would become of the colors on the wall. In each instance I let them know, I am simply adding to the existing beauty of the neighborhood. The beauty already lies in the smiles of each kid that races those streets. It’s in the eyes of each neighbor who looked out for my safety. It’s in the hope of each person willing to fight for Central City. I had the pleasure of painting this 60ft + long mural on Second and Lasalle. It was here that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other monumental leaders founded the SCLC. It was here that Dr. King demanded our rights and demanded change. It was he that said, “We want all of our rights. We want them here. And we want them now.” If you pass by the streets of Central City at Second and Lasalle Street take a picture.
July 2018
Location: Granada Hills. Los Angeles, CA.
I chased freedom up the mountain and found it in God’s divine grace. I hoped to define love in ways I never felt saw it all around me. I looked for peach with each step and realized I had to be serene to move in His direction. I listened for whispers of hope and realized I already heard God’s calling. 959 feet into the air, I created something beautiful. If you visit the mountains of Granada Hills in Los Angeles CA take a picture.
Monique Lorden x 1985Poet 