When she looked around the city of West Palm Beach, Caron Bowman saw herself reflected in the people, but not the art.
Especially not the street art. Caron was raised in Riviera Beach, a predominantly Black community bordering the northern edge of West Palm. But so much of the murals and public art she saw go up in the last decade didn’t reflect the city’s Black origins.
She set out to change that. Caron and several friends founded an art collective called Street Art Revolution. Their goal was to tap into the city’s diversity — and use it to create public art.
One of her group’s most significant works is a mural of Black leaders. It ties images of names you know, like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, to people who played an important role locally. Like arts champion Augusta Savage, who was raised in West Palm and helped lead the Harlem Renaissance.
Since then, Caron’s art collective has helped other artists find the space to show their work. They have projects as far north as Atlanta. But it’s their work here, at home in South Florida, that’s making the biggest difference.
On the July 17 episode of Sundial, Bowman joined us to talk about creating public art that reflects the entire community.
On Sundial's previous episode, Juan Felipe Herrera told us about the poetry he lives every day.
Listen to Sundial Monday through Thursday on WLRN, 91.3 FM, live at 1 p.m., rebroadcast at 8 p.m. Missed a show? Find every episode of Sundial on your favorite podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify.
