Following the May 25 killing of black Minneapolis resident George Floyd by white police officer Derek Chauvin, artists and activists took to the streets of downtown Asheville, part of an international wave of protests that continues to date. Bursting out of a season of isolation, rage and anguish over systemic racial injustice — particularly police brutality against people of color — boiled over, and the turbulent event became vividly documented, with the plywood backdrops of boarded-up businesses serving as ideal public canvases. Well-known local artists (Dustin Spagnola, Joseph Pearson, Ian Wilkinson) joined anonymous graffiti writers in expressing the situation. At press time, the artworks were being gathered for a group show, with proceeds from sales intended to benefit a local black-led nonprofit.
