BALTIMORE — What does a mural do for a community?
As one person put it, "it's just paint on a wall."
It's a question that, on the surface, doesn't seem that deep.
"There's something to be said about public health, but really in a civil society that's democratic and really celebrates heroes, narrative and historical documentation is a really central part of public health," said Gaia, a muralist.
However, when you ask Venise Steeple and her daughter Venine Roberts, a mural can reflect a legacy. Their family owned a popular restaurant in the area, the Yellow Bowl Restaurant, but the building has since been demolished.
In its place now stands a mural that highlights the restaurant.
"It's a little bittersweet coming here and the building is no longer here physically, but this mural is a reflection that our presence will remain forever and the mark that we left on Baltimore City through the Yellow Bowl Restaurant's legacy," Roberts said.
The mural shows the restaurant's owners, Steeple's hand from when she worked there, a cab in the background and a plate of food from the restaurant.
On the surface, each element of the mural offers a glimpse into what the restaurant used to be.
The coffee pot, one of the restaurant's most requested items. The cab, the owner used to work a cab company around the corner. The monochromatic yellow is there because, well it's in the name.
"I can't even explain the words, but it just put so many memories back and I really appreciate this to be in honor of my parents. I'm so grateful to have this memory because it means my dad's legacy will continue to go on," Steeple said.
Some of these images have deeper meanings.
Take the coffee pot for instance.
"This image came to me of the pouring coffee pot and once again it represents hospitality and wealth and comfort," Gaia said.
Gaia, the muralist behind the art, said this mural came together by accident.
He says he was working on a mural across the street and the building came down, which left some space to create a mural.
"A mural can be a central focus or it can be a backdrop. It can be invisible and soft or it can be extremely impactful, and I think we kind of have that duality here," Gaia said.
