Mural by Willowbrook alumna featured during 2020 Democratic National Convention

Pictured is Willowbrook alumna Sarah Farahat (class of 1997). A mural Farahat created at Hollywood Transit Center in Portland, Oregon, served as the backdrop for a portion of the Aug. 18 virtual roll call of delegates from throughout the country and various U.S. territories declaring Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. Photo by Andrew Theen

Pictured is the mural created by Willowbrook alumna Sarah Farahat (class of 1997) that fills nearly 2,000 feet of wall space at the Hollywood Transit Center in Portland, Oregon. The piece, entitled “We Choose Love,” honors the lives that were lost and the lives that were touched by the tragic event that took place on May 26, 2017. The mural served as the backdrop for a portion of the Aug. 18 virtual roll call of delegates from throughout the country and various U.S. territories declaring Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.

Artwork by Willowbrook alumna Sarah Farahat (class of 1997) was recently featured during the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

A mural Farahat created at Hollywood Transit Center in Portland, Oregon, served as the backdrop for a portion of the Aug. 18 virtual roll call of delegates from throughout the country and various U.S. territories declaring Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. Farahat was commissioned by TriMet to create the piece, entitled “We Choose Love,” to honor the lives that were lost and the lives that were touched by the tragic event that took place on May 26, 2017. On that day, three riders on a MAX train approaching Hollywood Transit Center were assaulted after they stood up to a man who was harassing two young women based on their race and religion. Two of the intervening riders were killed, and the third was left with life-threatening injuries. According to https://trimet.org/tribute, “The mural (which was completed during the summer of 2018) transformed nearly 2,000 feet of wall space at the Hollywood Transit Center, weaving together color, text and images to invoke a transition from sunset to night.”

Read more, and watch a video about the making of the piece, at https://trimet.org/tribute (or click the image above).

Farahat is a transdisciplinary Egyptian American artist, activist and educator. For the past 14 years, she has monitored the body within the socio-political landscape in the U.S. and abroad – intervening with works exploring grief, connection, assimilation, storytelling and engagement. Learning about and participating in grassroots struggles for liberation, abolition and self-determination inform her work. To read more about Farahat, go to www.sarahfarahat.com.