Last updated on February 9th, 2023 at 10:16 am
In celebration of Black History Month, Meijer has launched a collection of products featuring the art of three Black Midwestern artists – Dana Powell-Smith, Melina Brann and Shaunt’e Lewis – on products in every supercenter.
The collection includes a mix of paintings and digital art printed on decorative pillows, stationery, gift bags, canvas tote bags, key rings, kitchen towels and throw blankets, featuring the three winning pieces of art. The limited-edition products are available in all Meijer supercenters as supplies last through Feb. 26.
The retailer selected the featured pieces from hundreds of submissions after putting out a call for culturally-inspired art in 2021 as part of its efforts to support underrepresented communities. The winning pieces were selected by Meijer merchants based on employee votes.
“What I love most about the art we’re highlighting is that while all three artists took inspiration from the same prompt of Black History Month, they each approached it from a totally different viewpoint with their own unique style,” said Carla Hendon, director of supplier diversity and indirect procurement. “It highlights the diversity we have within the Black community.”
For example, Brann uses a pastel color palette not typically associated with Black coloring to depict a “pyramid of faces” representing the building blocks of community.
“For this piece, I wanted to show how Black women and Black people in our community lift each other up,” Brann said. “I hope my art sends the message that we’re all in this together – no matter what we look like, no matter who we are – we can lift each other up and make anything happen.”
Meijer will donate 5 percent of the sales generated from the collection to Urban Leagues in the artists’ states – the Urban League of West Michigan and the Indianapolis Urban League.
This is the first of five local artist collections the retailer will unveil this year, with others tied to locally-inspired art, Women’s History Month, Pride Month and Hispanic Heritage Month. Customers can shop the Black History Month artist collection in stores or online here.
