This morning, a group of avid supports for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders began work on what they’re calling “open source” murals on the 3200 block of West Broad Street.
The designs, created by muralists Hamilton Glass and Mickael Broth, will be shared without copyrights online to allow others to easily project them onto the side of buildings and trace them – they’re creating a video try and help this movement gain traction.
“Even though the primary here has passed, the things that are going on with Bernie Sanders nationally are really encouraging,” said David Morrison, partial owner of the building on which the two pieces were painted.
He was introduced to the two designers, and they collectively tried to come up with a way to support the candidate’s campaign. Ultimately, they determined it would be most constructive to share the designs openly through their newly-created Facebook group “Murals for Bernie.”
The mural on the side of the building visible while travelling west is paying an homage to the punk metal band the Circle Jerks, said Morrison, utilizing the same style of the image and the accompanying “Feel the Bern” slogan.
Patricia Tscharsky and Kyle Burns were tasked with making the video showcasing the design and how it can be projected and spread.
“I’m really excited to produce this because I’m a Bernie Sanders supporter,” Tscharsky said. “However big or however small this turns out to be I’m excited to be a part of it.”
For the 25-year-old Burns, he said this is one of the first times he’s been involved in a grassroots campaign for a presidential candidate.
“I usually don’t, on this level, get involved with politics,” Burns said. “I’m pretty interested in politics, which is also why I’m fairly disengaged with it.”
Burns, along with Morrison and Tscharsky, said that Sanders’ messages were resonating strongly with them and that’s why they were motivated to begin work on the project.
The building on which the murals are painted will be renovated sometime later this year, Morrison said, so the artwork isn’t a permanent fixture. However, it will likely be up for the next four to five months, near the general election.
Spectrum Editor, Austin Walker
Austin is a sophomore print journalism major. He started at the CT as a contributing writer, and frequently covers work done by artists and performers both on and off campus. He hopes to one day be a columnist writing about art that impacts culture, politics and documenting the lives of extraordinary and everyday people. // Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn