Save The Boards is a grassroots community-based project dedicated to the accessibility and long-term preservation of plywood art murals & messages created in response to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police. Kenda Zellner-Smith started the project by enlisting the help of her friend and roommate, Emma Shepherd. The pair alongside other Twin Cities community members have contributed to the preservation of more than 1,000 plywood boards and murals.

What We Believe

Save the Boards believes in taking action with urgency in order to raise public awareness about police brutality, the power of protest, and the healing social justice art provides us with.

THROUGHOUT HISTORY, ART HAS BEEN CREATED AS A RESPONSE TO SOCIAL UNREST AND USED AS A TOOL FOR OPENING UP DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACISM, CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING, AND OTHER CHALLENGES REGARDING JUSTICE AND UNITY.

HISTORICALLY, MUSEUMS HAVE HIGHLIGHTED CERTAIN STORIES WHILE MARGINALIZING AND OPPRESSING OTHERS. THROUGH THIS MANIPULATION OF POWER AND RESOURCES, INFLUENTIAL ELEMENTS OF CULTURAL, POLITICAL, AND ECONOMIC SYSTEMS SUSTAIN INJUSTICE AND INEQUITY AT THE HANDS OF THESE INSTITUTIONS.

IN OUR MISSION TO PRESERVE PUBLIC STREET ART, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE MORAL OBLIGATION WE HAVE TO CONFRONT BIAS AND INEQUITIES ENTANGLED WITHIN THE COLLECTION OF THESE HISTORICAL PIECES OF ART.

FOR SUCH REASONS, SAVE THE BOARDS DOES NOT FUNCTION AS A MUSEUM, AND WORKS AGAINST UPHOLDING A ROLE IN SUPPORTING THESE SYSTEMS.  Protest boards and plywood murals created in response to the murder of George Floyd DO NOT belong to any one person or business. This art would not exist without black murder.

What We Do

Save the Boards collects, documents activates, and redistributes these visual pieces of our cities history, back into community spaces, so that they may continue to serve as reminders of the undeniable strength of our community through continued reflection, creative expression, and the visual storytelling these works of art allow us to take in. If you are a local TC business looking to add a board to your space permanently, please shoot us an email. 

Mission

PROVIDE ACCESS TO MULTI-MEDIA-BASED PLATFORMS OF GEORGE FLOYD-INSPIRED STREET ART THAT CULMINATED IN THE STREETS OF MINNEAPOLIS FOLLOWING HIS MURDER. Save the Boards believes in community collaborations and idea-sharing, such that we may continue to use Minneapolis boards and murals as tools of learning, healing, and reflection long after the physical pieces begin to deteriorate and or transition into their next phase of life.

Vision

UPLIFT LOCAL ARTISTS AND SERVE AS A SAFE SPACE FOR COMMUNITY EDUCATION, REFLECTION, AND STORYTELLING, ALLOWING VIEWERS TO CONNECT WITH ART THROUGH THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES, VOICES, AND PERSONAL JOURNEYS WITHOUT GEOGRAPHICAL RESTRICTION. BOARDS WILL BE REALLOCATED INTO PUBLIC SPACES OVER TIME AS PART OF A LONG-TERM PRESERVATION EFFORT.

Expense Breakdown: 

Installation Costs

Physical / Digital Labor

Scaffolding Equipment

Storage Facility Rental

City Permits

Material Costs

Professional Services 

Costs Associated With Labor / Contract Work

Structural / Electrical Engineer for events

Other

Operational Costs

Costs Associated With Climate Controlled Storage Space, Rent, & Utilities

Outreach / Digital Presence 

Sales / Advertising Expenses

Website Development

Digital Archiving Materials and Supplies

Exhibit Expenses 

Fabrication Costs

Artist Fees (During events)

Facilities / Equipment Costs

Administration Fees

Physical Archiving Materials and Supplies

Transportation 

Truck / Trailer Rental

Board Pick Ups

Transportation of Boards for Events

Insurance 

Miscellaneous

Hidden Costs