Be The Light

This fall, the Short North Arts District will welcome a new public art project on the new Lincoln Parking Garage, located at East Lincoln Street and North Pearl Street. Starting in September 2020, local artist Adam Hernandez will create the approximately 460-square-foot permanent mural, titled Be The Light. The new mural, which marks the 14th new public art piece in the Short North Arts District this year, is slated to be complete in October 2020. Click here to learn more about Be The Light.

Hernandez believes in the power of murals to inspire and connect people in a community. Be The Light, located in a highly-trafficked area in the neighborhood, features a hopeful message from Martin Luther King Jr., “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

Hernandez was recently named the Best Artist in Columbus by Columbus Alive and is also a featured artist in the Short North Arts District’s Unconventional Mural series. The Columbus-based artist was born and raised in the Bronx, where as a kid, the graffiti covering every surface of his city spoke to him. Hernandez is self taught, and has exhibited work and painted murals in cities across the U.S. and internationally in Cape Town, South Africa. Hernandez adds, “I am honored to share Dr. King’s words with my community. They are a message and reminder we need now more than ever. I believe it is important to use my platform as a public artist to remind those around me of the impact we can have by simply putting others first, living lives of love, and striving daily to be the light.”

The Be The Light Mural Project is made possible with support from The Wood Companies, the Short North Civic Association, the Short North Foundation, the Italian Village Society, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and the Short North Alliance Art Fund.