Letter L in Black Lives Matter
by Antonia Ruppert
“Connection. Community. Creativity. My work intersects the lines of these themes. In this original design for Berwyn Public Art Initiative’s Black Lives Matter Mural, I explore the idea of collective love. People under a benevolent sun, side by side, connected to each other. It’s truly how I see the world. It has not always been easy growing up in urban Chicago. My life was shattered by my parent’s divorce, molestation, domestic violence, and a mental health recovery journey. Painting puts it all back together and connects the dots for me.” A. Ruppert
ABOUT THE ARTIST
“I am known in my local community as an artist that builds bridges with my creations. I create series of paintings about people, collaborative community art projects, and illustrations using various types of paint. Before working full time as an artist, I started my career in banking as an administrative assistant. I quickly became frustrated with the lack of creative expression. I had the opportunity to become a junior business analyst for the bank, but declined it to pursue learning and growing in the field of art. After many years of study and perseverance, I founded Antonia Ruppert Fine Art in November 2008. One of my first clients was a library. I delivered five paintings, a painted bench, and a 14-foot digital mural on the topic of literacy. I have designed murals and paintings for diverse clients including schools, libraries, and private as well as public collections. I am thankful to God for this gift of creativity. I’m also grateful to the many artists that have collaborated with me through the years.”
To learn more follow @antoniaruppertart
Thank you for capturing our artists!
Joel Gonzalez @weourstory, Josel Tolentino @Itjosel, Michelle Ruiz @michelle___ruiz
#berwynpublicartinitiative #publicart #blacklivesmatter
Curatorial Director, Michelle Ruiz
Copy Editor, Hugo Plascencia