Vanna Black is an Atlanta native, raised in Ormewood Park neighborhood of Atlanta GA. She utilizes her design skills solely to paint fabric-like surface patterns. Her art displays colorful abstract, motion-filled landscapes and floral imagery inspired by a connection to sustaining a peace of mind, existing in the now. Vanna’s mission is to use composition, color, scale and balance to open the viewer's mind for internal reflections about one's own thoughts on the world and other perspectives. She visualizes a world where everyone is nurturing each other while learning about how to be self-maintaining like Nature.

“Changing into the Better Me is a mural inspired by various memories of my childhood growing up in Atlanta, playing outside all the time. I was raised by my mom, and grandma. The butterflies were seen all throughout the household, from ornaments on the wall to my grandmother’s brooches. They represent resilience, change, hope, and freedom. These qualities are representative of the matriarchs who raised me in a city paralleling the same characteristics. Both my Mother and Grandmother are now my ancestors, but their ethereal transitions taught me how to navigate the adversities set before me. I see myself and the community that shaped me as resilient, overcoming many obstacles of life, not settling for mediocrity. When becoming a butterfly, the caterpillar goes through an ultimate metamorphosis, similar to what we as humans go through. Change can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be. The support of a loving community can change lives for the better. Complementary to the butterfly’s existence on earth, the Gingko Biloba is a living fossil, a relic stuck in time, unchanged for more than 200 million years. However, it too is seen all over this city as a representation as a symbol of resilience, similarly to the butterfly, it is a reminder to be thoughtful, and respectful of your mind, body and soul.”

Assisted by Ash McNamara
Photos by Drew Borders, Jim Stringer
Curated by Drew Borders