Miami-based, Dominican-born street artist Evoca1 recently completed his latest mural in Erie, PA. Erie Arts & Culture facilitated this massive endeavor, which is the latest chapter in their mission to revitalize the urban landscape with fresh public art painted by world-class talent. Evoca1’s photorealistic mural occupies the towering residential complex of Methodist Towers, and depicts one of its own residents grinning with pure authenticity.
Local news source Go Erie reported that the subject, Rudy Daniels, age 71, originally hails from North Philadelphia, where he became involved with gang activity at the beginning of middle school. His gang days lasted until he turned 20, when a particularly bad spat landed him in a coma, from which he woke up blind. Rudy suffered for a long time trying to cope with his condition. He drank heavily and attempted suicide three times. After that third failed attempt, he found his faith, and decided to take a new path in life. He moved to Erie in 1995 to live with his older brother, Raymond. He told the outlet that “life in Erie is good.”
In conversation with Go Erie, Daniels explained, “I feel good about that mural. Maybe my story might help somebody, but not to inspire them to do anything wrong and wind up like me. I’m content after 50 years of blindness. I’m here and I try to tell people that I’m sorry.”
He continued to state, “I always get around, and this mural has really made me feel good. More people recognize me. They joke and say, ‘Hey, it’s the movie star.’ People have described the mural for me. They said it looks just like me, that the artist got the man on the picture. I do talk to people. They recognize me. They congratulate me. I was surprised the artist picked me. I don’t know what they were looking for. There probably were good-looking girls in a bikini that he could have put up there.”
The choice to depict Daniel directly aligns with Evoca1’s ethos. The artist’s biography writes that he is “an autodidact figurative painter, muralist and sculptor,” whose “works are a personal reflection of his life experiences, as well as from observation of human behaviors and social struggles.” The story of Daniels’s life extends beyond the trope of a traditional redemption arc. His smile, shining bright from the facade of Methodist Towers, shows the light that has shined within him throughout his whole life. No one is completely bad or completely good, regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in. We are all grappling with our demons, and trying our best to deal with our realities. This journey to a lighter state of being, which I believe is each individual’s true purpose, comprises the beauty around which life centers itself. It is also the most human struggle an artist could depict.
Beyond this, Evoca1’s mural for Erie places a remarkable emphasis on creating public art that showcases the local community. Curator Iryna Kanishcheva wrote that the mural “has made the people who live in this area visible. Interesting people, with interesting stories who desire a better community.”
The mural’s logistical needs were sponsored by an anonymous couple from the community. Together, they wrote, “For us, the whole experience of sponsoring a mural in Erie has been something that we will always remember.” The two originally envisioned an abstract mural on the walls of Methodist Towers, but upon learning that a photo-realistic mural would be taking shape, they were “blown away” by Evoca1’s portfolio, and thrilled with his choice. They said, “Once we saw the mural taking shape we were thrilled with the subject, Rudy Daniels, and felt that there could not have been a better choice.”
The couple, as well, noted the importance of community with this project. Their statement closed, “We were also struck by how much support the people of Erie provided the mural. There was local TV and press coverage over the course of the entire project. It was so exciting to see people stopping to watch Elio at work or talking to him on the street. The mural was already accomplishing all that we hoped for – making people happy and bringing the community together. We will remember this project for the rest of our lives – we could not be any happier with the result!” It will be exciting to see how Erie Arts & Culture continues to pair community-mindedness with amazing talent to transform their city for the better.
Evoca1: website | facebook | instagram
Iryna Kanishcheva: website | facebook | instagram
