In the beautiful city of Providence Rhode Island, I recently completed another permanent outdoor public mural, coming in at 1700 square feet, and three stories high! Through the efforts of The Avenue Concept, a Providence mural arts organization, I was connected to Open Door Health, a clinic specifically catering to the LGBTQAI+ community and was asked to create a mural on the largest outdoor facade of its brand new location, in my popular ‘line drawing’ style. For this project, I chose to create portraits of primarily Providence residents that span the queer and gender spectrums, as well as portraits of important nationally known Transgender icons. Set against a fluid interpretation of the Transgender flag, I wove the together the 14 portraits with symbols and imagery of transformation, gender fluidity, queer affirmation, and local flora and fauna. The result is “Love is a Many Gendered Thing”; a dynamic and life affirming tapestry of real people whose queer beauty and gender uniqueness I am honored and humbled to offer more positive visibility to the world.
Brian Kenny
"Love is a Many Gendered Thing" (2021)
Public outdoor mural (custom exterior latex acrylic on brick)
42' W x 40' H (about 1700 square feet)
Location: 21 Central St., Providence RI 02907
Client:Open Door Health (Providence's first LBGTQ+ focused clinic, IG:
Producers: The Avenue Concept (a non-profit Providence public arts organization
Sponsors: Pearl Street Lofts Association, Armory Revival Corporation, Adler's Design Center & Hardware and the Providence Hilton Hotel
People featured in the mural
(*- deceased):
Alice Firefly (she/them) (non-binary) (Providence)
*Chris Harris (he/him) (cis man) (Providence)
*Cristina Hayworth (she/her) (trans woman) (NYC)
Elle Moxley (she/her) (trans woman) (NYC/LA)
iO Tillet Wright (he/him) (trans man)(NYC/LA)
Kayden Marz (he/him) (trans man) (Providence)
Matt Garza (they/them) (non-binary) (Providence)
Nick Platzer (he/him) (cis man) (Providence)
Nielle Taylor (they/them) (non-binary) (Providence)
Richie De Filippo (he/him) (cis man) (Providence)
Shey Rivera Rios (they/them) (non-binary)(Providence)
*Sylvia Rivera (she/her) (trans woman) (NYC)
*Tatiana Jones (she/her) (trans woman) (Providence)
and myself (he/him) (NYC)
PRESS LINKS
CBS News 12 (TV feature). https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/providence/mural-recognizing-lgbtq-rights-goes-up-in-providence/
WBZE News Radio (Boston). https://wbznewsradio.iheart.com/content/mural-honoring-the-lbgtq-community-is-unveiled-in-providence/
HRC. https://www.hrc.org/news/am-equality-july-28-2021
Boston Spirit Magazine. https://bostonspiritmagazine.com/2021/07/massive-wall-mural-in-providence-honors-local-lgbtq-leaders/
Boston Globe. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/26/metro/mural-honoring-lgbtq-icons-is-standing-tall-providence/
Special Thanks: Nick Platzer, Alice Firefly, Josh Lee, Cassie, Matt Garza, The Haus of Glitter, Fran, Yarrow, Everyone at The Avenue Concept, Rich Ferri, Pepper, Richie De Filipo, Dr. Amy Nun, Everyone at Open Door Health, Tatiana Jones, Cristina Hayworth, Sylvia Rivera, Chris Harris, iO Tillet Wright, Elle Moxley, Shey Rivera Rios, Nielle Taylor, Kayden Marz, Alexa Gagosz, Drew Moholland, Kait Walsh, Jacqui Gomersall, The Providence Hilton