‘Keep Ya Head Up’: Artist’s Tupac chalk art becomes coronavirus relief effort

Videos of Italians taking to their balconies as makeshift communal choirs have gone viral since the country went on lockdown, but one Sacramento-based artist is lifting another Italian tradition from her driveway, as a means of providing relief.

Jolene Russell began her education in the medium of street painting while attending San Rafael High School, where she cut her teeth at the city’s art festivals. Russell ended up graduating from art school a few years later, but she admits that she foresaw artistry as more of a hobby than a source of income.

Now, the artist is pivoting one of her latest works from the pavement, towards providing relief for those affected by the coronavirus.

Russell adopted the title of “freelance artist” after crafting chalk signage for a brewery she worked at, before her employer’s satisfaction led to her doing the same for several of the brewery’s other locations.

After moving to Sacramento, Russell participated in the city’s Chalk It Up! festival, where she acquainted herself with artists.

According to Russell, the chalk medium is one that enjoys devotion across multiple states, nations and Facebook groups. As the number of events and gatherings canceled by the coronavirus pandemic grew, she turned to art for consolation and guidance.

“Everybody started to get really bummed. It’s a really great way to connect with people. Most of these people, I don’t see until I go to a street painting event, so it was a sad time when the events started to get canceled,” Russell said. “People on these Facebook groups started saying, ‘We should do street painting in front of our homes.’ We wanted to share our pieces with each other, the public, and to just make this as a workaround, as our own little festival.”

And so, the artist whose work has adorned the chalkboard signs of local businesses and garnered top prize at a festival in a small port town of Wilhelmshaven, Germany, plopped down in the driveway of her Alkali Flats home, hoping to spread a bit of positivity.

“I started to think about what I would want to see if I were walking around in my own neighborhood. The thing that kept coming back to me was, keep your head up, this is going to end at some point. Everything is going to be okay at some point,” Russell said. “I love doing portraits and I love Tupac, so I figured I’d put those two things together and make a piece in my driveway.”

The six-hour session, Russell’s first in her own driveway, yielded a chalk pastel rendition of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur, insulated by the titular phrase of his 1993 classic, “Keep Ya’ Head Up.”

The piece, once posted on social media channels, received a flood of support, Russell said. The artist was delighted to see that the piece had introduced a bit of positivity to Sacramentans, but it was a close friend who suggested she turn the piece into a product.

Russell pivoted from solely selling prints to crafting stickers depicting the pastel chalkwork found on her driveway, which took a bit of research.

The artist covers the cost of producing the stickers through sales, with the remaining 80 to 85 percent going to Crisis Aid International. The stickers are $4 and are found at jolenerussell.com.

“In times like these, I have a hard time feeling helpful. I’m not a healthcare worker. I’m not a counselor. I don’t have the skills or credentials to have my boots on the ground, and feel like I’m making a difference firsthand,” Russell said. “Trying to figure out something I can do to provide some relief, or help other people provide some relief has been a really motivating force for me. Especially, since I’m self-quarantining in my studio. Doing something like this is a way for me to feel like I’m helping or making a difference.”

Russell cites Crisis Aid’s transparency and pledge to direct funds toward those affected by the coronavirus as the main reasons behind her selection.

The artist has since decided to divide all of the sales from the rest of the items found in the merchandise and print sections of her website 50/50 with the organization.

Like many, Russell says she has had adjust to orders to shelter in place and maintain social distancing, but that she has found an uptick in those willing to commission her for a glimpse of the brighter side.

“A friend in Davis is paying me to come do some chalk art in front of her neighbor’s house. My friend has a 2-year-old toddler, and their neighbor also has a toddler. They’re good friends, but of course, they can’t see each other right now, which is a bummer. So my friend is having me do some chalk art in front of her house to say hello, and that they’re thinking of them,” Russell said.

First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom put out a similar call on Twitter, asking for people to share positive messages found along local walkways.

Russell admits she has also had to learn to cope with the temporary nature of the medium, which is easily disheveled by weather and foot traffic. It’s something she combats by sometimes taking hundreds of pictures, or applying the occasional touch-up.

The artist counts herself lucky in comparison to the dilemmas the coronavirus has posed to many, but she says she finds relief in realizing that the current state of things are also temporary. Like Tupac said, you’ve gotta keep ya head up.

This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 9:05 AM with the headline "‘Keep Ya Head Up’: Artist’s Tupac chalk art becomes coronavirus relief effort."