The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation’s ArtsBergen initiative announces artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh has been selected to create the “Women’s Mural Project: Celebrating Black Suffragists and Black Women’ in Englewood, New Jersey. The mural celebrates Black women’s voices, raises awareness about Black suffragists, and encourages civil discourse within the community. The Foundation issued a call for artists for the project in August. A selection committee comprised of community members assembled to review the applications.
Artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh selected to create the Black women mural project in Englewood, New Jersey.
Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, a Black-Iranian visual artist, is a painter, whose work ranges from the gallery to the streets, using visual art to address the daily oppressive experiences of marginalized people through beautifully drawn and painted portraits. A native of Oklahoma City, her street art series, “Stop Telling Women to Smile,” addresses sexual harassment in public spaces. This art series appears on walls across the globe. In 2019, she was also the inaugural Public Artist in Residence for the New York City Commission on Human Rights. Furthermore, The New York Times, NPR, MSNBC, the New Yorker, and Time Magazine profiled her work.
Fazlalizadeh lectured at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Brooklyn Museum and New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center. In addition, she presented at several universities, including Stanford, Brown and Pratt Institute. Her work appears on Spike Lee’s Netflix series, She’s Gotta Have It. She also served as the show’s art consultant.
Black Women and Black Suffragists Celebrated
The Foundation’s ArtsBergen initiative in collaboration with its community partners — The Women’s Rights Information Center, Metro Community Center, and the Woman’s Club of Englewood — plan to implement the project. The mural will be painted on the east-facing wall of The Women’s Rights Information Center’s building in downtown Palisade Avenue in the city of Englewood. The project also includes open workshops to capture and elevate the stories of Black women in Englewood. The workshops relate to Black suffragists’ lives and accomplishments.
AARP Community Challenge Grant, Valley Bank and Visions Federal Credit Union awarded grants for the project. In addition, other supporters include Sozosei Foundation and PNC Bank. For further information, contact nnjcf@nnjcf.org or call 201-568-5608.
