Moe Gram
Location: 1647 Pearl Street
Photo by Peter Kowalchuk
"Make Space" is a part of a series of empathy walls from the Every Human Empathy Campaign. This particular wall uses the phrase "Make Space" to encourage viewers to consider all the many ways we as humans have to make space. In some cases, we make space for how we, or others, might be feeling. We make space for what we don't understand or what is important to the people we love. Ideally, we make space for each other and the other humans around us. What is truly most important to consider, is that in order to make space, we must first give people grace. When we give grace and meet people where they are, we have a better chance at the all-loving and inclusive tomorrow we all dream of.
Artist Bio:
Moe Gram is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Denver, and works on a diverse array of mediums that include painting, mural, collage, and installation. Gram graduated from California State University Bakersfield with a major in Visual Arts and a minor in Cultural Studies with a focus in Italian Culture, during which she participated in a 6 month museum studies and studio arts program in Florence, Italy.
Gram’s work involves themes of identity, empathy, human connection, and self reflection. Immediately upon viewing her work, you are met with a boom of vivid colors, movement, noise, and texture that settles into a controlled and intentional vibration. The viewer’s eyes harmoniously dance across the piece along the lines and curves of her brush strokes, and end on the powerful, simple message at its core. The beauty of Gram’s work is beyond the aesthetics of her carefully curated color palette, and found within her request of encouraging the viewer to dig deeper within themselves. This is illustrated in her mural for Black Love Mural Festival in 2020, a recent example of Gram’s social justice work; inspired by her personal experience, observation, and self reflection, she presented a potent message of empathy. The audience contemplates the meaning of empathy, how it pertains to the self, and what it truly means to extend empathy to others.
Her dedication to social justice is integrated into her work with the Denver community and youth. Gram, a mentor and educator, is involved in numerous youth collaborations and community-building organizations, with notable projects like Our Voice, Our Views, Our Vote (PlatteForum Art Lab), Here is Our Heart (Boettcher Boys and Girls Club), and Our lives, Our growth (Elevation Ability Services). Her passion for community and social change lead to Gram’s participation in Babe Walls 2020, a mural festival celebrating women and non-binary folk; her involvement was a firm reminder to a male-dominated community that their permission and acceptance was never needed.
From works on canvas to installations and murals, Moe Gram’s work is distinctive, engaging, and thoughtful. Through her signature color palette, messaging, and use of juxtaposition, Gram’s work encourages the viewer to absorb and reflect- for the betterment of oneself and collectively for us all.
LINKS
Photo by Peter Kowalchuk