Glory Reitz
One Nation, One Project (ONOP) GNV unveiled a mural called “Creating Calm” outside Gainesville Fire Rescue Station #4 on Tuesday. The mural was a collaboration with local artist Turbado Marabou and 10 incarcerated youths in Released Reentry’s psycho-educational group.
ONOP selected Released’s “Creating Calm” project with 20 others earlier this year through its Phase 1 Community Listening Grant opportunity. Emily Westerholm, founder and program director of Released, said the project allowed the incarcerated youths to develop a vision of what hope looks like for them, then work with an artist to create a mural.
“I hope that it leaves them feeling empowered and connected to the community,” Westerholm said in an interview.
In discussing their idea of hope, the youths chose to honor Harold Bernard “B-Magic” Batie, a firefighter and magician who died in June. Batie was a performer, but also a pillar of his community and a proponent for drug abuse prevention.
Over the summer, the young men came up with symbols that reminded them of Batie, including a sunset over the ocean, sunflowers, crows, cards and a fireman’s helmet with a rabbit in it. Batie performed as a magician for children and adults from the 1990s until near his death, and he was one of Gainesville’s first African American firefighters, serving from 1971 to 2002.
Because they are in the Alachua County Jail, the young men who developed the idea for the mural were not able to attend the unveiling, but many members of Batie’s family and community were present, sharing memories and admiring the work.
Batie’s daughter, Stacey Cason, said her father always wanted to help people, and although his children knew he meant a lot to the community, the mural is solid proof that he will be remembered.
Carmelitta Strickland, also Batie’s daughter, said the family only found out about the mural two weeks ago, but it was a good surprise.
“This here, it just shows just how much he meant to the community,” Strickland said. “And we really appreciate it. And you know, they captured his look… They did an amazing job.”
Family and friends described Batie as a “gentle giant” who was tall, happy, protective, aggravating and loved to entertain. Gainesville Fire Chief Joseph Dixon said Batie had one more trick that he never got to show him before he died, which Dixon said is a reminder to live the life God ordains because no one can know when their time will come.
“It’s important also during this time to have heroes, and to have somebody that you can look up to,” Dixon said in a speech. “I stand on his shoulders. [Without Batie], there’s no me as your fire chief.”
Marabou, the artist who created a mural from the “Creating Calm” youths’ vision, said he had known Batie since the 1980s, when the firefighter used the gym where Marabou worked. The artist did not know Batie was a fireman until he took a picture of him coming out of a burning building during his time as a photographer, but they maintained their relationship up until Batie’s death.
Marabou said Batie was still performing magic shows up until a few months before he died.
“You know when a person is genuine when they’re consistent wherever they go,” Marabou said. “When I found out [about] his passing… it just kind of sent a little mini shockwave through the community… because he never let on that he was ill. He was always strong, he was truly this inner strength, not just physical strength.”
Though he had his own personal connection to Batie, Marabou said the mural is based entirely on the symbols the Released youth came up with, and they approved the concept before he painted it. Marabou also held a community painting day to finish the work, including his personal touch of having community members leave their handprints along the bottom.
Marabou said the wider involvement in his work, from the Released youth to the community painting day, is key to making sure the community feels connected to the mural after the artist has moved on.
“It should be a transformative and empowering place, and empowering images. And so that process of having the community make those decisions of what they wish to see is vital,” Marabou said.
The mural is one of 20 projects funded by ONOP, using American Rescue Plan funding in an attempt to use arts and culture to battle youth gun violence. ONOP coordinated with Gainesville’s Cultural Affairs division and Arts in Public Places Trust to get the “Creating Calm” mural installed at Fire Rescue Station #4, where Batie served most frequently during his 32 years as a firefighter.
Brandy Stone, Gainesville’s community health director, said the project is a “wonderful example” of ONOP’s vision to amplify a local narrative and create multi-sector collaborations.
“You have all these entities that are involved in this,” Stone said, “and all of it is focused on amplifying the youths’ voices and seeing their vision come to fruition, supporting their wellbeing through that curriculum that Emily facilitated with them, and improving the wellbeing of our community as a whole.”
