COVID 19 — or, coronavirus, I never know which one to call it — brought an abrupt end to a lot, including Live in Color, the mural painting group that I founded here at the University of Michigan two years ago. We had plans to finish this semester strong, planning to paint our biggest murals to date, including the major stairwell in the Shapiro Undergraduate Library, the new Virtual/Augmented Reality rooms in the Duderstadt, and participating in the upcoming Ann Arbor Mural Festival, painting over 550 square feet in Ann Arbor’s downtown. That was all cancelled. 

 

I wasn’t particularly torn up about it, and was even a little grateful to realize that I had painted my last mural without knowing it—without any of the unnecessary expectations that come with a last. As you know, I hate expectations. 

 

Like so many other organization leaders around campus and the world, emails went out bringing an end to gatherings, and Live in Color was not immune. I sent the email, bringing to a close my time as leader of Live in Color and bringing with it the doubt of what would come next year, now unable to train the next generation of leadership. Stay safe, Julian. 

 

My Ann Arbor mural painting was far from over, however, and I had already planned for no-permission painting long before I knew that we would be forced to stay home. With a gung-ho team, gallons of extra paint, all the necessary supplies, and the plans in place ,the transition to painting without permission was easy and welcome. It felt more up my alley anyway. 

 

It also seemed more significant. We still need beauty, especially in a time of panic, of fear, of uncertainty. With all this focus on the tangible needs of the citizenry, be it financial or health security, many seemed to forget about the intangible needs, those of respect, of beauty, of happiness. When we painted during the day, we heard time and time again: Thank You. Thank you for doing something beautiful, thank you for doing something for us, thank you for making our walk prettier, our lives prettier, our lives full of color. Thank you. 

 

Not only do I have more time to paint, and more paint to paint with, but I feel like I have more of a purpose. With many turning to art, music, creativity, I feel like I can use my base of mural painting to help others happier. To me that is vital. 

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