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Defend, Grow, Nurture Phillips
The Defend, Grow, Nurture Phillips mural is located on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis, which is in the Phillips neighborhood. This mural was painted on a large, wide building. The mural's focal point is six indigenous people painted in the center, with a woman breastfeeding and holding her out her hand, as the main figure. There are many generations represented, including two elders (the last two people on the right). There is a man to the left of the breastfeeding mother, another woman with a child in front of her to the right of the mother, a man to the right of the woman and child, and another woman to the right of the man. Sunflowers, along with other plants and flowers, surround the people, forming a square with one large sunflower at the far-left edge. The sunflowers depict scenes that are of importance to the community. The people are all facing to the left and appear to be in protest. Two large triangles are pointing to the right and left, which are formed near the group of people. Inside the triangle pointing to the right, there is a silhouette of people protesting. The left side of the mural depicts mountains in the background and items representing disruption, gentrification, and destruction. The right side of the mural depicts water with tepees being reflected in it and buildings behind the more modern tepees on the top. There are constellations on the top and bottom, along with circular stars with figures depicted in them. There are also northern lights in the top right. The main tones of the mural are earthy browns and reds with cool tones on the right side.
The composition of the mural has people as the focal point, depicted at the mural's center, with the mother being the focus. The balance of light and dark shades of paint for the skin tones adds depth and creates a sunshine-like effect. The two triangles balance the scenes depicted on each side, which also creates symmetry. Another point of symmetry is the square made up of flowers and plants that surround the people. The four sunflowers create a square around the people in the center, which also adds symmetry. The tepees in the reflection of the water, along with the constellations, balance the buildings above them. The mountains and flowers appear to be distant in the background of the people. The middle and foreground are used to display the people and sunflowers, with one larger sunflower displayed in the background. The dark brown triangles add depth to the images displayed. The protest silhouette is in the middle ground. The contrast of light and dark on the far-right side adds depth. The oil, gun, crane, needle, danger sign warning against arsenic and lead, and barbed wire are in the foreground and part of the middle ground. The tepees are in the foreground, and the buildings and other tepees are in the middle ground. The stars and constellations are in the background and foreground.
Yellow curved lines outline the people, which show their importance and make them seem like they are surrounded by sunshine. Curved lines over the tepee represent waves, which create a sense of peace and tranquility. There are also straight lines that are formed by the two large triangles, creating a frame around the people and a visual sense of direction to the scenes depicted on both sides. The straight lines of the barbed wire in the bottom left corner point at the mother, who appears to be deflecting them along with the oil, gun, and crane. The curvy lines of the constellations and northern lights at the top right are reflected in the water and represent nature now and then. The paint adds texture through the sharp appearance of the barbed wire and the hook attached to the crane. The thin brush strokes of the feather attached to the headband on the child’s head make it look soft and fluffy.
The colors in the mural are very earthy in their tone. The mountains and hills displayed on the left use brown, peachy tones, which give it a very peaceful tone, contrasting with the filth and desecration of land shown in the bottom left corner with unattractive tones and themes. The scene on the right uses cool tones, which could represent water and bring a calming message. The dark blues used in the top left corner are meant to show the impacts and changes due to colonization. The bright colors around the people show that they are full of light and connected to the earth through the flowers. The yellow shows that the people are full of light.