Lamar Advertising, Colossal Media and the Black Artists + Designers Guild Collaborate to Create Hand-Painted Mural in Brooklyn Celebrating Black Imagination
Designed by BADG, the artwork will also be displayed on Lamar digital billboards across the country throughout Black History Month
Baton Rouge, LA – February 8, 2023 – In celebration of Black History Month, Lamar Advertising, a leader in outdoor advertising, and Lamar’s Colossal Media division have teamed up with Black Artists + Designers Guild (BADG) to create a hand-painted mural on a wallscape in Brooklyn that will celebrate the power of Black Imagination and Collective Action. Founded in 2018, BADG is a mission-driven non-profit striving to build a more equitable and inclusive creative culture by advancing a community of independent Black makers in creative industries.
The mural, designed by BADG, features the organization’s manifesto: We are liberatory, celebratory, collaborative, community, active, activists. In addition to the mural location, the artwork will be displayed on Lamar digital billboards across the country throughout February.
“Each year, Lamar uses our Out of Home network to honor the achievements and contributions of the African American community during Black History Month,” said Sean Reilly, CEO of Lamar Advertising Company. “This year, we are excited to partner with the Black Artists + Designers Guild to share the brilliant work of their artist community, and to help deliver a reminder of the importance of inclusion and the need to build deeper connections within our communities among all people.”
“Colossal’s second collaboration with the Black Artists + Designers Guild is the perfect encapsulation of Start Today’s mission,” said Kelly Peppers, President of Colossal Media. “Start Today is our initiative to deepen the connection with our community, amplify the important work of non-profit organizations and local activists, and demonstrate the power of public art in effecting change. We’re honored and proud to help bring this commanding artwork to a colossal scale.”
Located on the corner of Berry Street and North 12th in historic Williamsburg, the 20’ x 45’ hand-painted wallscape will promote the excellence of Black artists, makers, and designers with a composition representing pride, strength and empowerment. The color palette highlighting BADG’s signature colors represents common vegetal dyes in African textiles. BADG intends for the mural to inspire deeper connection and collaboration within the Black creative community.
“Through this collaboration, we set out to create a visual representation of Black imagination and collective action,” shares Black Artists + Designers Guild Founder Malene Barnett. “This mural represents our BADG manifesto, the foundation for our action-oriented membership as we drive the industry toward equitable and inclusive spaces.”
Colossal Media, the division of Lamar that specializes in hand painted wall ads, is painting the mural. Colossal operates 81 large-format, hand-painted wall displays in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and six other US cities. The mural will be unveiled on February 10 and will remain on display through the end of April.
About Lamar Advertising Company
Founded in 1902, Lamar Advertising (Nasdaq: LAMR) is one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in North America, with over 360,000 displays across the United States and Canada. Lamar offers advertisers a variety of billboard, interstate logo, transit and airport advertising formats, helping both local businesses and national brands reach broad audiences every day. In addition to its more traditional out-of-home inventory, Lamar is proud to offer its customers the largest network of digital billboards in the United States with approximately 4,300 displays. Please feel free to explore our website www.lamar.com or contact us at hello@lamar.com for additional information.
About Colossal Media
Colossal Media is the Brooklyn-based, award-winning, global leader of hand-painted outdoor advertising. In 2004, Colossal single-handedly revived hand painting in the outdoor advertising industry, turning a historic craft into a compelling media option. Today, Colossal proudly paints over 500 murals a year for the world’s largest brands and has evolved into both a creative and outdoor media agency. Offerings span from hand-painted walls in major US DMAs to creative strategy and execution, community artist collaborations, and content production. Colossal campaigns are rooted in craft and culture, are inherently memorable, build curiosity and excitement through storytelling, community engagement, and authenticity. The mission is focused and will remain to always hand paint, to deliver a premium product, and to create art of advertising.
ABOUT BLACK ARTISTS + DESIGNERS GUILD
Founded in 2018, The Black Artists + Designers Guild (BADG) is a dynamic, action-oriented, member-driven platform for creative professionals seeking community, collaboration, and creative support. Founded on the principles of a traditional guild, BADG thrives on active membership + patron support. We are proud to be mission-driven, value-centered, and committed to equity and inclusion.
BADG is building a more equitable and inclusive creative culture by advancing a community of independent Black makers in creative industries. We are committed to honoring our ancestral legacies in art and design, taking ownership of our narrative, and creating spaces to celebrate Black creativity and culture. Cultivating leaders in creative industries is how we thrive today and in our shared futures. As a mission-driven organization, we live by our values, creating opportunities for our members to thrive and reaching out to industry allies to support the great work of visionary Black artists and designers.
Press Contacts:
Allie McAlpin
Lamar Advertising Company
VP of Marketing Services & Communications
(225) 926-1000
amcalpin@lamar.com
Katie Danforth
Colossal Media
Senior Producer, Creative Services
(415) 450-5684
katie.danforth@colossalmediagroup.com
Tiffany Farney
Black Artists + Designers Guild
Founder of Digital Thread Consulting
(405) 614-0560
media@badguild.info
Source: Lamar Advertising
