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2 Artists Aim To Beautify Buildings Boarded Up From Sacramento Protests

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Two artists want to paint a different portrait of the Sacramento protests.

Brittany Kissinger and her friend Nestor Mendoza said they the violence that followed the George Floyd protests last weekend and wanted to cast the events in a different light, especially after seeing the stark plywood over the windows of so many downtown businesses that were destroyed.

"My friends own Wild and Poppy so when they told me they were boarding up their windows I said do you mind if I came and do some sort of positive message and they said of course," Kissinger said.

Kissinger said she expanded on this opportunity and took the chance to beautify other boarded-up buildings.

"So we just thought it would be a good way to show support, show the stores we are here for them and everyone who is protesting," she said.

The two painted the mural at Wild and Poppy and the business next door liked it so much they asked for one as well.

"This is a portrait of my friend's son and we started to build around it," Mendoza said.

With the stroke of a brush, art became inspiration. Cecilia McCrae was walking by and noticed it.

"It's beautiful. They've taken the time to make it stand out because black lives matter but it's not about black, white, or any other color. It's about people and getting justice for these people," McCrae said.

The artists are working to change the social and political landscape one piece of plywood at a time.

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