The artists behind some of N.J.’s iconic outdoor murals and the passion that pushes them

Thousands of murals color the state of New Jersey. In cities like Newark and small towns like Flemington, outdoor art beautifies businesses, downtown districts, schools, church grounds, parks, public buildings, unoccupied structures and areas near public transit hubs.

Murals can offer a pleasant moment for the passersby who catch a quick glimpse or outright inspiration for those who choose to stop and study the work. But we likely don’t know what motivates the artists who climb the scaffolding, hop on scissor lifts and ladders, and work in blistering heat to create the works that inspire thought and reflection.

The artists who complete the works typically don’t do it for the accolades and not necessarily for the financial reward; they do it for the love of community, the betterment and beautification of the neighborhoods and for the good of the people who live there.

Here are stories of a few of the artists who have created murals in the Garden State.

On the side of an auto glass repair shop on Ashmore Avenue in Trenton is a mural by Leon Rainbow. This mural, a collaborative effort between Rainbow and artists Raven George and Liz Amaral, is part of a series that Rainbow calls “Increase the Peace.”

Rainbow said Alex Salguero, a principal at Classico Auto Glass, wanted a mural. Rainbow recalled, “He said ‘I want to do something on the side of the building,’” noting he thought Salguero would want artwork relating to his business. But that was not the case; this local business owner was interested in doing something for the community. “He wanted a mural on the side of his building that inspired peace,” Rainbow said.

“He makes money from people who have had their car windows shot out, but he wanted to have a message of peace on the side of his building,” Rainbow said.

Rainbow, a native of California who came to New Jersey in 1997 and is now a fixture in the Trenton community, was happy to oblige this business owner.

“Different people do different things (to facilitate change),” Rainbow said. ”I’m not a politician. I’m an artist. I do art and (other) projects that are meaningful. This is what I know. This is what I do.”

The design of the mural at the auto glass repair shop — funded by the Capital Health Victory Program, which serves victims of violent crime — was quite deliberate, Rainbow said. The negative images on the wall are in shades of gray, while bright colors define what’s positive. There are images of graduations, a rocket propelling forward and a child in an astronaut suit, suggesting what could be if not for violence in the community. Rainbow said the message is about protecting the future. “If (the children) don’t make it because of violence, they can’t become astronauts or doctors.” This mural, as with all Increase the Peace murals in the city, features an origami dove.

In Trenton, works by Rainbow are plentiful. And, “Increase the Peace” is just one series intended to convey a message. “We Are Survivors” is a three-part series that was done in the days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first mural in the series is located on the side of a garage at Haggerty Alley and Hudson Street. This, Rainbow said, is his favorite work in Trenton. “At least today,” he mused while walking on-site on a hot summer day.

This mural had a “post apocalyptic” feel with people wearing masks, holding signs saying “wear masks.” Elements of the original art remain, but the mural has been changed to include images of what comes after survival … “the moving forward,” Rainbow said.

He continued, “The feeling from COVID was one of uncertainty, but then there’s positivity.” So, the focus of the brightly colored mural on the side of this garage became a young black girl who looks forward.

Other murals in the series can be found at Sprout U School of the Arts and a four-panel piece at North Broad and Perry streets.

Rainbow completes both commissioned and permission work, essentially a thumbs up from a building owner to create something where he has the freedom to design.

For Rainbow, teaching is another means of giving back to the community he loves — something he’s done for at least two decades. He has taught at after-school programs at Trenton middle schools and has worked with The Arts Council of Princeton on its Creative Fridays after-school program.

At Ewing High School, Rainbow brainstormed with students on a mural at a space on campus that “gives kids a place to chill out, where they are helped with college applications.” The project was done via the school’s ASYSST (Available School Youth Services Support Team) program.

He’s also the co-founder of the Jersey Fresh Jam, a free hip hop festival where aerosol artists “from far and wide converge to adorn the walls of Terracycle with their signature masterpieces, while local and regionally known emcees, bands, and DJs provide the soundtrack for the days festivities.”

For Rainbow, the motivation is simple. “I love to create,” he said. For locations of his Mercer County murals, click here.

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On the side of the building located at 169 Clinton Ave. in Newark is a recently completed mural titled “L’enfant De La Divinite”, or, the Children of Divinity. The mural commissioned by the city pays tribute to fathers.

The work was completed by Malcolm Rolling, 32, and Hans Lundy, 30, and their apprentices over an approximate two-week period this summer. The mural is massive; it measures 270 feet wide by 45 feet high at its highest point.

The work, which includes an immense image of a construction worker and another of a little girl, was done as a tribute to fathers … “all that they give, all that they do,” Lundy said.

“A lot of murals in the city depict historical figures; this one celebrates every day people,” Rolling proudly stated. Here, he said, “We’re celebrating the everyday man who (might be) a construction worker … the man who works a viable job that pays the bills; he does this for his kids and we did this for him.”

The artists worked on the mural daily from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. On several days, the heat was blistering. They lost weight, they said.

Their hard work was a labor of love. Rolling said, “This mural is for the people of the community … we want to get this right. It’s not for us … it’s for the people of this neighborhood.” They said they hope it inspires positive conversation about fatherhood.

The artists believe that all areas of a city should benefit from quality artwork. Rolling said, “We came to this area deliberately; it’s very important that quality art exist downtown in cultural arts district, but in the neighborhoods, too.”

Lundy and Rolling believe strongly that the existence of art in a neighborhood can facilitate positive change for people in the community. The mural at 169 Clinton Ave. includes words that the artists hope will inspire those who see it; Twelve Jewels of Islam — Knowledge, Wisdom, Understanding, Freedom, Justice, Equality, Food, Clothing, Shelter, Love, Peace and Happiness — are included on this work.

Rolling and Lundy want to share a message of hope with those who consume their art: “If you want to change, you can; what you were yesterday doesn’t have to be what you are tomorrow.”

Lundy and Rolling, who noted that they have been inspired by the many positive influences in their lives, are pleased by the possibility of encouraging others in the community.

“I’m the product of really good mentoring,” Rolling, 32, said. “My mother saw something in me and encouraged me,” he said, adding, “My entire life I’ve benefited from solid mentoring.” He credits his mother and other family members as well as Gilbert.

Rolling and Lundy believe their individual strengths as artists complement one another. “We work as one another’s eyes,” Rolling said. Lundy’s work is “structure based … about proportion.” Rolling works with drippings and plays with different textures.”

These artists appreciate when people stop to watch as they work. Many people here “don’t get to see artists come out and put music on and create,” Lundy said. He noted it was a feel-good moment when Newark Mayor Ras Baraka saw their work being done and “spoke positively about us.”

Rolling, who is responsible for more than 200 murals in the city, noted that the building where the mural is located, the Divine Riviera Hotel, was once owned by Father Divine, who preached equality and worked to improve the lives of the impoverished. According to an article posted on Real Estate NJ, “the hotel, built in 1922, was a significant player in the desegregation of the local and national hotel system.”

Daniel Spiegel, KS Group CEO and co-founder, which recently purchased the building, said the mural only adds to the value of the historic structure. Spiegel said it cannot be disputed that the art is a “great thing that inspires people.”

Rolling, who was born in Newark and hails from East Orange, spent much time in North Carolina, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in studio art from Elizabeth City State University. But the artist was drawn back to Essex County, where he serves as chief operating officer of YENDOR, a Newark-based, artist-owned and operated production house/cohort founded in 2003 by the late Rodney Gilbert.

YENDOR was created “to address the need for integrated public art in the city of Newark.” At YENDOR, the belief is that “public art is an anchor for economic growth and quality of life for residents.”

As a muralist, Lundy works to create large-scale, immersive works of art that “transform spaces and engage viewers.” In addition to works in Newark, Lundy murals can be found in East Orange and Plainfield.

“I’ve always had a passion for art, but I never thought I could do this for a living,” said Lundy who met Rolling in 2019 when Rolling’s cousin was an intern on a Lundy project.

Lundy, who was born in Haiti — the French words in the L’enfant De La Divinite installation is a nod to his Haitian heritage — said his parents always wanted him to have a secure job. But, he said, Malcolm “opened my eyes” to the fact that art could become a career. The rest is history.

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Murals are by no means found exclusively in urban areas.

Robin Lapidus, executive director of the Flemington Community Partnership, said, “I think that murals have been widely placed in urban areas because there is more concrete wall space in cities, but there is absolutely a movement for murals in more surburban and rural areas.” Lapidus said murals become a destination for folks. “People come to stand in front of murals … it becomes meeting place; people might say ‘meet me at flower mural in Flemington,’ she suggested.”

Kevin Von Holtermann of Readington Township was recently selected to paint a mural in Flemington. Von Holtermann is new to mural work. In fact, mural that graces the side of the Flemington DIY building on Stangl Road in Flemington was his first.

Lapidus noted that the Flemington DIY mural was funded with a Neighborhood Preservation Program grant. The grant money is earmarked for place-making and improvements to public space, she said, adding, “If you ask how many municipalities who received this funding used it for murals, you would find a lot use this funding for that.” She noted this funding requires a public process and advisory committee.

“This mural was highly vetted and a true community process,” Lapidus said, noting, though, “We didn’t tell Kev what to do at all, but flowers was a good theme” for this town, this location. It felt really right for that building. He gave us sketches and we picked color patterns that we thought would be dynamic day and night on building.”

Von Holtermann said, “The mural in Flemington was my first mural attempt, and it was a very freeing … being out in the open with a new challenge before me. The vision of the mural was a direct response to the town being in bloom with a new revival and life, ‘we are all in bloom together’ a slogan I hope the town will adopt with the slogan and the image of my floral work.”

He continued, “It represents togetherness and beauty and a rebirth in bloom. When Robin approached me to create the mural, I was a bit nervous, but she quickly assured me that all would be an amazing experience and it certainly was.

“The only boundaries I had were in my color choices for the background, and what lettering I could put on the mural, as it was also going to be on the side of the Flemington DIY building, so we all worked together and came up with a wonderful plan together.”

Von Holtermann, who describes himself as a self-taught “outsider artist” who “draws inspiration from the beauty in life and push and pull of anxiety,” said, “I look forward to more floral murals and even hopefully some abstract murals in the future. Our town is in bloom and I am grateful to be a part of the beautiful bouquet.”

This article is part of “Unknown New Jersey,” an ongoing series that highlights interesting and little-known stories about our past, present, and future — all the unusual things that make our great state what it is. Got a story to pitch? Email it to [email protected].

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