Coming August 2025
“Why We March” is a collaborative mural co-lead by the powerful duo of Julio Desmont and Raphaella Brice alongside members of the Howard Center Arts Collective. This project is funded by the Vermont Community Foundation and Burlington City Arts along with support from the Howard Center Arts Collective and Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Why We March Mural Unveiling Event
DATE: August 11, 2025
TIME: 4:00 – 5:30 pm
LOCATION: Downtown City Market
PARKING: 102 S. Winooski Ave., on-street, or parking garage
Community members within the Howard Center and beyond came together to envision the image and to choose words and phrases for the placards. In a world that always needs passionate advocates, we imagine and aspire to be a united community that comes together to uplift and care for one another. This mural articulates the vision of all who contributed, across our wide breath of our experiences and identities. This is what we stand for; what we believe in; and Why We March.
The mural will be installed at 102 S. Winooski Avenue in Burlington overlooking our neighbor City Market and Burlington to the north. Join us for the unveiling on August 11!
Lead Artists
Note: Many artists are helping to make the Why We March mural. A full listing of participating artists will be added soon.
Julio Desmont is a Haitian-born visual artist based in Burlington, Vermont. His vibrant and emotionally resonant works draw from a rich tapestry of cultural, historical, and personal influences. Desmont’s early artistic inspirations came from the vivid imagery of the natural world (particularly the colorful trogon birds), and Haiti’s iconic “Taptaps,” the ornately decorated public transport vehicles.
Deeply influenced by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, and Georgia O’Keeffe, his paintings aim to provoke emotional responses, offering viewers a glimpse into the playful, spiritual, and cosmic nature of creation. Desmont’s work is a testament to the role artists can play as cultural bridges. Through education, outreach, and creative expression, he believes that art is a universal language that unites and empowers people across generations and backgrounds.
Raph Draws is a Vermont-based digital illustrator and muralist who moved to Vermont in 2020. They interweave their love for global-culture, community, spiritual, and mystical concepts with their art pieces. Although they began their visual art journey in Vermont, their love for community, culture and inner-city life stems from their upbringing as a first-gen Haitian-American from Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Raphaella creates art from cultural, spiritual, and mystical references while using exuberant color palettes to create uplifting, yet timeless visual stories. At the forefront of their work is ‘the liberated & exuberant black body’ and global symbol of resilience “The Black Madonna,” both unscathed by the perils of powers and principalities of this Earth. The goal of their creative practice is to bring sacredness to Blackness & honor oneness.
Mural Timelapse (Video)
In Collaboration With:
All Artists and Contributors
Lead Artists:
Julio Desmont and Raphaella (Raph Draws) Brice
Collaborating Artist:
Amjed Jumaa
Mural Organizing Committee
Catarina Campbell, O’Dessa Monnier, Kara Greenblott and Ria Tingin Tajbl
Project Photographer:
Sarah Barnett
Community Paint Session Coordinators:
Sarah Jayne Kennelly, Lydia Littwin and Jacob Weber
Project Coordinator:
Kara Greenblott
Website Design and Communications Support:
Paul Detzer, Erin Gamache, Anne Linton and Denise Vignoe
Participating Artists, Slogan Writers and Content Brainstormers:
Sarah Barnett, Sherridan Beyer, Edward Burke, Scott Carter, Catarina Campbell, Charles Cantin, Kathleen Donahue, Meayva Fitzpatrick, Carrie Fox, Tal Friedman, Patty Gibbons, Benjamin Goodwin, Kara Greenblott, Verena Gullikson, Jody Jane, Sarah Jayne Kennelly, Jessica Kilpeck, Sarah Kinsley, Robin Lawson, Steph Lieblappen, Lydia Littwin, Scott MacKenzie, Anna Marie Mattson, O’Dessa Monnier, Bobbe Pennington, Alex Siegel, Steve Tall, Ria Tingin Tajbl, and Jacob Weber.
Community Partners
We are very grateful to the following community partners for their role in bringing this mural project to fruition:
ANEW Place, Pathways Community Center, AALV, City Market, Sammel Group, and Able Paint, Glass & Flooring.
CREDIT: Mural artwork, entitled Why We March, is a collaboration with Raphaella (Raph Draws) Brice and Julio Desmont, 2025. It was inspired by the original artwork Why We March created by Julio Desmont, 2021.