Decatur, GA — Atlanta visual artist Patreece Lewis headlined the Decatur Business Association annual Black History Month program on Tuesday, February 27, at the Ebster Recreation Center. The program, started by Mayor Emerita Elizabeth Wilson in the 1990s, focused this year on the impact of Black Americans on the arts.

Lewis, known for her murals and art installations in and around the Atlanta area, is the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards and is currently earning her Master of Fine Arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design. In a live interview with her husband Amisho, Lewis explained in depth the meaning behind her art and the messages she aims to send as a Black female artist, highlighting “images of a culture that are beautiful” and “finding beauty in who you are.”

Lewis has completed murals at the Little Five Points Rag-O-Rama and more recently at the Courtyard by Marriott on Clairemont Avenue in Decatur. She takes her inspiration from accomplished Black artists such as Jacob Lawrence, William H. Johnson, quilter Bisa Butler and sculptor Augusta Savage.

The Marriott mural, depicting a pair of hands grasping in the heart of the colorful city of Decatur, represents “hands from the past connecting to hands from the present,” according to Lewis, who “allow[s] the canvas to be my voice when I don’t know what to say.”

Staff and students of Beacon Hills Middle School were present for the event, with original poetry about Black History Month read aloud. Sixth grade English teacher Zakiya Wicks chose two Beacon Hills students to present the poems: eighth grader Lauren Daniel with an original poem, and sixth grader Mallorie Norman with an original poem and a performance of Amanda Gorman’s “Every Day We Are Learning.”

Wicks herself presented an original Black History poem as well. Norman and Daniel will participate among other students in a poetry slam at Decatur High School on March 20.

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