[Update! The mural is now complete! See it here] Help me paint a mural with JQ! I’m worki

[Update! The mural is now complete! See it here]

Help me paint a mural with JQ!

I’m working with JQ International, which “builds and strengthens a community that nurtures a healthy fusion of LGBTQ and Jewish identities” to paint a Jewish-queer pride mural in Los Angeles–and we need your help!

Included in the morning liturgy is a blessing originally written for women that says in Hebrew, “she'asani kirtzono” roughly translated as “Blessed are you, God … for making me according to your will” or “for making me as intended.” This bold statement that God created each of us intentionally in these myriad bodies and forms has distinct echoes of #bornthisway, though a millennium older than hashtags. As a result, this blessing has become a succinct and powerful articulation of gay pride in a Jewish context. The mural will feature this blessing in the original Hebrew and in English in my characteristic playful typographic style over a rainbow background. (See photohopped renderings of what the mural will look like above, and find other Hebrew mural’s I’ve painted here,here,here, and here.)

The mural will be located in the Melrose Alleys, a stretch of alleys on either side of Melrose Avenue between Fairfax and La Brea, that are famous for street art and have been the canvas for such luminaries as Shepard Fairey and Banksy. That area of the city also happens to be a crossroads of historic Jewish neighborhoods and gay neighborhoods, making the placement of the mural especially meaningful. At 90 feet long, it would be likely the largest extant queer mural and the second largest Jewish mural in Los Angeles!

We hope to raise $1500 to cover supplies and time dedicated to creating the mural. JQ is the fiscal sponsor for this project, and all donations made in support are tax deductible, and all money raised in excess of our goal will support future JQ programming. Your assistance is greatly appreciated!