Some of the best and brightest artists the world has to offer have participated in the Moving the Lives of Kids Community Mural Project (MLK Mural). Their objectives are to work with the youth artists by educating them on the basics of drawing and painting, artistic styles, and work with the youth to unlock the rich history of their community. The Artists are leaders and coaches there to provide a safe environment for the youth.
Together the youth and professional Artists go through creative experience to learn and work together. They learn the power of teamwork, civic responsibility, and activism by working as a team to accomplish a common goal. After spending time as a group, friendships are born, and positive peer groups are formed. The murals become the place where it all happens and the Artists make it fun and rewarding.
The ultimate goal is to empower youth through art education. By arming them with the skills and knowledge to create public art they become leaders in their community. Their voices are heard by the images they create. The community is there every day to watch their progress and lend their encouragement.
Key ideas revolve around teamwork, community involvement, respect for community history, and most importantly respect for themselves and their peers. Under the staff’s guidance the students will discover not only the history, but also the future of their neighborhoods.
Both the professional and youth artists create the public art together. This is a large group effort, requiring teamwork, coordination, and hard work. The results are magnificent and rewarding to all who participate.
MLK Mural has an ongoing open call for Artists through its website www.mlkmural.com. All Artists are prescreened and trained before participating in the Mural Process.
Kyle Holbrook - Executive Artist
Kyle Holbrook - Executive Artist
Moving the Lives of Kids Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded by artist Kyle Holbrook. Mr. Holbrook noticed the opportunity to make local communities more colorful and vibrant by converting dirty walls into beautiful canvas depicting valuable themes and historic events in the local and national history. As a result of this vision, he was commissioned to pursue projects throughout the country and the U.S. His portfolio of visible contributions to community art includes nearly 500 colorful murals that currently adorn streets, highways, walls, and schools throughout the world. The organization’s most valuable asset is their team of intergenerational “Muralists”. Using a collegial approach, more than 5000 youth can now say that they have received training in how to paint a mural.
A few international projects include:
2006- “The History of Baseball in Pittsburgh.” Completed as part of Major League Baseball’s All Star celebrations in Pittsburgh. 20 MLK Artists participated along with 100 Youth Artists. The young artist participants not only learned about local sports history, they experienced being part of a team creating a monumental artistic beautification project in their neighborhoods. Participants included neighborhood youth, local artists, and students from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and the Creative and Performing Arts High School.
2007-2012 MLK directed the Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway Community Murals Project. Hundreds of Artists and thousands of Youth Artists assisted in completing 200 murals in and around Pittsburgh.
2009-2012- MLK-Miami begins operating and partners with the Little Haiti Cultural Center to produces a large mural honoring the victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Also the organization partners with Urgent Inc. to produce a baseball themed mural honoring Miami’s 1920 Negro League Baseball team, the Ethiopian Clowns.
Merceda Gomez, EDU Director -Prior to being a literacy academic coach, Gomez served as a teacher at Pittsburgh Public Schools for nearly 20 years.
MLK Mural Site Education Coordinator, Manager since 2007.
“I feel fulfilled when I am helping others and I never want to come across as, well sometimes when you say that word — helping — the receiver is feeling enabled or like they’re below the other person,” Gomez said. “I approach help as like, ok, I’m here to be a thought partner, I’m here to be a counterpart, I’m here to be a side-by-side twin in a way. We are growing together because every time I lend myself out to help someone, I do learn in the process. It’s fulfilling internally to me.”
Micci Hunterer- MLK Teacher manager since 2005.
Fred Moline- Artist Manager
Fred has always had a vivid vision and strong passion for art. Fred began drawing at 3 years old, shortly after his sister, Claudina, taught him about the true meaning of art coming from within. Fred’s sister taught him to draw what he felt and what he saw. Fred’s artwork manifests a lot of emotions, such as happiness, sadness, and being angry. His art transcends what is happening in his state of mind to real life.
To him, the unintentional colors brighten up the dull areas to keep the work alive. So many emotions are described in colors and placed in his work to amplify the nature of the story. Due to depressing moments in Fred’s life, he took his pain and incorporated different style
periods into his collection. The collection is a series in which Fred breaks down the struggles he went through during the hard times in his life
Joy Taylor -Operations Director, Youth Fashion, Female empowerment (2007-2012)
Eugene Ojeda- Curriculum Teacher Trainer, Artist, Rapper. BZE's nickname, "The Cuban Cruise Missile," makes a little more sense once you learn that although he grew up in Northern California, he was born in Hawaii as Gene Ojeda, a child of Cuban immigrants.
Dana Morris- Youth Manager
Rasheeda Jefferson- Manager Prep Team.
Samantha Davis - Community Organizer
Samantha Davis - Community Organizer
Samantha Davis is the Community Organizer for Moving Lives of Kids. She began her work with MLK Mural in 2010 as the Program Director for the “Broken Window’s project”. This project engaged over 100 youth and volunteers teaching them the basics of art and promoting teamwork, community pride and goal setting. Through this project, over 150 boards illustrating positive images and influential figures of Pittsburgh were installed on the abandoned homes in low-income communities.
Samantha stands strong in her belief that everyone has the innate ability to succeed in life; all they need is the opportunity to do so. She has been working with the at-risk youth of Pittsburgh through mentoring and teaching for eight years.
She attended American University where she obtained her Master’s in Public Policy and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration. When not working with MLK Mural Samantha works on policies impacting low-income and homeless populations through the Advocacy and Social Justice Department of SOME (So Other’s Might Eat) in our Nation’s Capital Washington DC.
Samantha enjoys the engaging the Youth Artists with the community to promote their leadership skills. She has an uncanny ability to bridge the gaps between the MLK Mural Program and the Community. She does a great job of promoting the core mission of empowering youth through public art and community engagement.
Lil Baby Artworld - Street Artist and Educator
Artworld plays a pivotal role in all public murals and street art, he focuses on art with a social cause, “meaning”. often times facilitating the ‘Community paint days’ using art to unite people.
Artworld is instrumental in developing the MLK Mural patented curriculum.
MLK Mural Staff: Anji Corley, Ashley Hoder, Michele Gregio, and Kyle Holbrook
