Humanity, healing and unity — those are principles that The Aster Project is founded upon.
The Aster Project is an Atlanta-based initiative that uses art and storytelling to honor those who have lost their lives to police violence in Georgia. This will be done through a series of interconnected creative initiatives, including a mural, album, documentary and written stories.
The project was conceptualized by Project Lead Maisie Thompson, an Atlanta artist. In 2020, Thompson began painting tribute murals onto the wooden boards covering businesses’ broken windows.
Seeing her work, local families began asking for murals of their loved ones. From there, she and families began to envision a large-scale mural and currently, 20 families are involved in the project.
The name is based on the Aster flower, which is a symbol of love, wisdom, valor and faith.
Thomspon described The Aster Project as a grassroots, community initiative that’s “shaped and driven by the families.” The family members have been instrumental in creating the project and its mission and are ultimately steering the ship. To ensure that integrity is maintained, they created an advisory board of families that oversees the project and ultimately approves all decisions.
For Dalphine Robinson, mother of Jabril Robinson, art has offered some solace during a time of tragedy. Jabril was shot and killed by Clayton County police in 2016.
“My son was a joy that we had in our family,” Robinson said. “People don’t know that and I want people to know. I want people to know how silly he was; I want people to know how loving he was; I want people to know how much he loved music. I want people to see who he really was, not the thousands of stories put out about one incident. I want them to really know my son and I want them to know the truth about what happened to him.”
Robinson added: “Watching [Thompson paint] every little detail of my son — it was like rebirthing him.”
The team, which they call “The AsterFam,” views art as a powerful tool to communicate ideas and feelings and, ultimately, propel change. Thompson describes it as a “potent truth teller” and an instrumental way to tackle big, heavy, hard topics — like police violence and the penal system.
“Change happens when people feel something and feel compelled to act,” Thompson said. “They have to be moved and we’re not moved by numbers and statistics, though they’re very important. We’re moved by images and stories.”
To tell these stories — and thus humanize the real people behind the statistics — the team will produce a series of creative projects. The projects aren’t only about the event that led to the premature end of their lives but also paint a picture of the people they were and the full lives they led.
- Aster Mural: Thompson will paint 20-plus portraits on wooden panels. The portraits will be mounted and illuminated over a mural painted by a team of local artists and will incorporate themes based on each person’s life. The mural will be displayed in downtown Atlanta.
- Aster Album: In collaboration with Restoration Studios, family members will produce a tribute album alongside local and established artists. Each track will be dedicated to a person honored within the project and will vary in topic and genre.
- Aster Stories: Bringing on a team of acclaimed writers, families will work with the author to craft and publish a poem, essay or short story.
- Aster Documentary: Throughout this process, the team will film the Aster Project and the journey of those involved.
However, to get these projects off the ground, the team needs funding. All donations are tax-deductible.
To support the families throughout this journey, the team offers free grief counseling once a month. Grief Counselor Annie McFadden holds the healing circles pro-bono.
The family of Kevin Davis, who was shot and killed by DeKalb County police in 2014, has been involved with the project since its inception. They describe the initiative as a way to use tragedy and grief to ignite change.
“The Aster Project is an amazing way to continue to bring awareness to police brutality, as well as to keep Kevin’s memory alive,” DeLisa Davis, Kevin’s sister, wrote to SaportaReport. “We all just miss Kevin so very much. This project is genuinely about honoring the lives lost to police brutality. Out of all the other projects and organizations, we knew this one was the perfect fit for our family.”
Robinson expressed a similar sentiment, describing this as a space that fosters community, bringing together people who can really understand each other and the trauma they’ve endured.
“So much has come out of the Aster Project — the healing part of it. We really needed that as parents that have lost our children because once we lose them, that’s it,” Robinson said. “The Aster Project is so much. It’s not just about a mural, it’s not just about music — it’s about love, family and understanding. I want to see [this project] happen so bad but I’m so very patient, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help The Aster Project flourish.”
Ultimately, Thompson and the Aster Project team hope that this initiative helps bring more awareness to police violence in Georgia while also memorializing the lives that were taken too soon.
“I hope there’s a culture shift,” Thompson said. “I really believe that when people learn the truth of what’s going on and really get to connect with these families, I think that will shift things… Majority of us are only interacting with data, headlines and hashtags. It’s necessary to remember why those statistics exist. Put very simply, I hope there’s change.”
For more about The Aster Project and ways to support the initiative, click here.
The post The Aster Project: Telling the story of Georgians who lost their lives to police violence appeared first on SaportaReport.