BALTIMORE — A Baltimore artist is adding some vibrancy to an East Baltimore community center working on a mural not just loaded with beauty, but also messages of empowerment.
"Some artists did some masks probably 20 something years ago and they wanted to keep that and preserve that," said Davon Carey.
Those artists, now adults, laid the foundation of the 'Children of the King' mural Davon Carey is building on.
"If you look close up, the masks really have our features, you can see yourself in one of the masks. And just to put another mural on top of that, I've never done that, so it's exciting," said Carey.
In the mural, a gracious mom is crowned with Africa with her husband by her side while her kids are adorned with crown under the heading 'Children of the King.'
"He was the prefect artist to bridge the gap," said Tehma Smith Wilson the CEO of the Door.
The Gutierrez Memorial Fund financed the project through a grant awarded to the Door.
It enabled Carey to bring an artistic element to the building that serves East Baltimore families.
Its design has a clear message behind it and The Door's CEO says she's proud that it's serving its purpose.
"Whether you're young, whether you're mature, we want you to be able to look in the mural and see yourself, see your family, see your future, see your ancestors," shared Smith Wilson.
For Carey, the muralist, the depiction of this family reflects his own: blended and tightly bonded through constant love along with his mom, a consistent nurturer of his gifts.
"At 7-years-old, I was adopted into the Carey family. My name is Davon Carey. My name was Davon Vennebal," he said.
His mom Kathy planted the seed for him to pursue art and now the art he's creating is planting seeds of its own.
"Seeing it here at a community center where you come for years and years to play with all the other people you'll grow up with in Baltimore, I think it'll be important to be in the back of your mind," Carey explained.
He's strengthening his community with a sense of identity rooted in both love and power.
"I'm hoping that they see that you can be more than what you are. It's always room for improvement. Kings and queens, you know, you got to hold accountability and that we are beautiful, beautiful people," Carey expressed.
To view the mural and learn more about the Door visit here.
