New Mural by Stephon Freeman

Black Cat Alley has never welcomed a new mural in December before (thanks, Wisconsin weather), but thanks to a grant from the Herzfeld Foundation, we were able to have a panel mural—created in the warmth of the artist’s studio— installed before the end of 2020.

The image, featuring a silhouette of a little girl holding an open book, against a backdrop of the cosmos, portrays a hopeful and expansive vision of the future via literacy.

Stephon Freedman’s mural is mounted just at the entrance to the Alley, on the Kenilworth side. Says East Side BID director Elizabeth Brodek, “I think it really conveys what the Alley is about, and the magic of art (visual, written, or otherwise) to open a universe of possibilities and imagination to people.”