JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A vibrant transformation is coming to the heart of Five Points.
Nearly one year after the Florida Department of Transportation stripped the neighborhood of its rainbow crosswalks, a new art installation is set to bring color and a message of inclusivity back to the historic district.
Local artist Shaun Thurston has already begun sketching out what will soon become a 1,700-square-foot mural on Park and Lomax Streets. The project aims to celebrate diversity and honor the rich history of LGBTQ+ in the community.
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Currently, the site is nothing more than a blank black wall with a few sketches, but project organizers say the space will be completely transformed within the month, with plenty of local representations.
“I hope that they feel welcome and open and inspired to love each other and connect with each other, and take care of each other,” Thurston said of the crowds that will soon view his work.
Thurston designed the piece to be experienced in two distinct layers. From a distance, a bold, vibrant color palette rooted in the traditional rainbow spectrum will catch the eyes of passersby. However, as viewers approach the sidewalk, the intricate details of the artwork will reveal a deeper story. Some of the outlines of a human figure will have the face shape of local business owners and people in the community. The mural will also have designs inspired by the things in 5 Points.
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“Then as you get closer, you’ll notice that figures are being swept up and pulled together through... their own human effort, and pulled apart by the forces of the world,” Thurston explained.
The initiative serves as a direct response to the state’s removal of the community’s rainbow crosswalks last year. Because state officials prohibited the pride symbols on public roadways, local advocates pivoted to private property to ensure the neighborhood’s identity remained intact. The mural will go up on the side of the Sunburn cannabis building.
“Ideas to pull off not a direct rainbow, but a vision of kind of joy, happiness, you know, it was things, different words that we use that we wanted to express on the wall,” said James Eddy, LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
A collaboration between six organizations helped fund the $25,000 project. Organizers say they still need to raise $5,000 more dollars. You can donate by clicking here.
“We had another solution thanks to the Five Points Association and the owner of the building that was willing to put this piece of work on their wall in a private space since we had to take it off of public space,” said Eddy.
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