#torvasm

[scenefromthesidewalk]

"BLACK HISTORY MATTERS"

by Julie Bender

In 1963 the late great John Lewis was one of the "Big Six" organizers of the March on Washington and two years later led the Bloody Sunday march from Selma to Montgomery. First elected to congress in 1986 Lewis served for 17 terms and never shied away from "Good Trouble" in furthering the rights of all people.

For three decades the Southwest Center in Phoenix has been the home of LGBTQ friendly healthcare and service to those affected by HIV/AIDS. In early 2021 highly accomplished Phoenix artist Lucretia Torva painted this beautiful celebration of Black History with portraits of John Lewis, Barack Obama, and Kamala Harris on the Southwest Centers Central Ave facade just north of the Roosevelt Arts District.

@swhiv/   @torvasm/

[scenefromthesidewalk]

“DEATHPROOF DUCK"

by Lucretia Torva

Now living in Phoenix, Lucretia Torva is originally from Peoria, Illinois but grew up in France and Scotland and says the exposure to art and architecture provided a great foundation for her career. A realist painter working with oil and acrylic on canvas, Torva says she has also "acquired an addiction to painting murals." The versatile Torva has worked with all manner of subjects but her expertise at automotive painting, water scenes, and a series of "Shiny Things" canvases were all put to good use in this 2018 contribution to the Oak Street Alley Mural Festival, turning Phoenix's E Oak St between 14 and 15th Streets into an outdoor gallery. "Deathproof Duck" is adjacent to another Torva piece, "As You Wish," also painted in 2018.  @torvasm/  @muralsofphoenix