“Still Here” was created in co-operation with the Tomaquag Museum. The image features a contemporary young Indigenous woman holding the portrait of Princess Red Wing, a Narragansett/Pokanoket-Wampanoag elder, historian, folklorist and curator surrounded by native flora. The strawberry, sunflower and red wing blackbird are featured prominently and an endemic cattail springs into the foreground while the invasive phragmites are cast to the margin.
The mural’s artist, Gaia, was inspired by the history of the Custom House Street location, as well as the Indigenous peoples of Rhode Island. The wall is close to Weybosset Street, which is named for an Indigenous footpath and a trading location that later became one of the first custom houses in America. “Still Here” is meant to inspire as well as celebrate the resilience of Indigenous people.
About the artist:
Baltimore-based Gaia is an internationally renowned street artist who has created large-scale works in cities around the world, including Buenos Aires, Seoul, London and Amsterdam. He grew up in New York City and is a 2011 graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art with a Bachelor in Fine Arts. His studio work, installations and gallery projects have been exhibited throughout the world, most notably The Baltimore Museum of Art, Rice Gallery in Houston, the Palazzo Collicola Arti Visive in Spoleto and the Civil and Human Rights Museum in Atlanta. His street work has been documented and featured in several books on urban art, including Beyond the Street: The 100 Leading Figures in Urban Art, (Berlin, 2010) and Outdoor Gallery (New York, 2014).
