Artist: Family and Friends of Charles Freeman

Project Title: In Memory of Charles Boko Freeman

Location: Madison and Willard Streets

Project Statement:  Inspired by the garden postings of butterflies shared by the Jason Donati family on Facebook, Charles had intended to wrap the box at Madison and Willard Streets with recreations of those images in vivid color.  Sadly, he never finished the canvas and his team was at a loss as to what to do about the box.  Akilah Nosakhere, wife of the late artist, and local artist Bennita McCoy led a group of young artists to use those same vivid florescent colors to create a menagerie of tropical sea life in memory of Charles H. Freeman, a master of the mural.

Artist Bio:  Charles Boko Freeman was a dreamy-eyed kid from Houston, Texas who loved to draw big pictures! Teachers often recruited him to create the backdrop for school plays and programs.  As a teen, Charles’s family nurtured his natural artistic ability and sent him to relatives in Queens, New York where Charles focused on developing his creative skills while attending high school. In New York, Charles became passionate about justice and self-determination. From an early age, Charles successfully combined activism and art to leave an impressive collection of artwork including murals, portraits, banners, commercial and public art in California, New Mexico, and now Indiana.  Rest in Peace Brother Boko.