Rell Rushin with FroGang Foundation, Inc.

Launching in August 2023, Frofully Connected is a mural by artist Rell Rushin that was developed through the Public Art and Communities Program. Created in collaboration with FroGang Foundation, Inc, the artwork speaks to FroGang’s mission of promoting and creating positive self images for young Black girls so that they can recognize their self worth and see beauty when they look in the mirror. Frofully Connected celebrates natural Black hair and culture and seeks to affirm the importance of self-love, sisterhood, confidence, and connection. The mural was developed in response to FroGang’s defined community need of addressing racism faced by Black women and girls in the Pittsburgh region.

In 2021, Rushin started attending FroGang’s bimonthly Successful Sister Sessions, supported by independent project manager Jessica Gaynelle Moss. These sessions provide a space for FroGang to work with Black girls ages 6-16 to build their self-confidence and promote sisterhood and connection.

As Rushin engaged with the girls, she began to develop the concept for an artwork with positive visuals to empower both the girls of FroGang and the community at large. The FroGang girls, all of whom received an honorarium for their participation, provided essential feedback on color scheme, hairstyles and clothing, as well as quotes and layout.

Over the course of two years, Rushin and FroGang were supported by Moss and Shiftworks as they built trust, deepened their relationships, and finalized the concept for the artwork.

FroGang chose the location of the artwork in their home neighborhood of Beltzhoover. Frofully Connected will be hand-painted with acrylic paint onto multiple medium density overlay boards, and will then be treated for weather before being hung on the building facade. The building faces a lot that FroGang is in the process of adopting from the City of Pittsburgh, located at the corner of Climax Street and Curtain Avenue. Kelli Shakur, FroGang’s founder, was born and raised in Beltzhoover, and most of the participating girls are from Beltzhoover and the surrounding Hilltop communities.

FroGang is committed to improving this site to give the community youth a place where they can feel welcomed and see themselves reflected in the artwork. The site is prominently located in the community and is visible upon entry into Beltzhoover from Warrington Avenue. FroGang envisions the lot as a place for the members of both FroGang and the Beltzhoover community to gather for events, with artwork that celebrates FroGang and their mission. 

FroGang hopes that the process of creating Frofully Connected with Rushin will help their girls build new relationships, learn what it means to collaborate with an artist, and understand that their ideas are being seen and heard. The artwork itself will widen the perception of beauty and reinforce the power of sisterhood and self-love within their communities.

Installation of the artwork will be managed by Flyspace Productions. The Art Commission submission process was coordinated by Crystal McCloyn of GBBN Architects, and OPA. Consultation on and support with mural painting was provided by artist Max Gonzalez.

Learn more about Rell Rushin and her other projects on her website.

Learn more about FroGang Foundation, Inc. on their website.

Rell Rushin uses a variety of mediums such as oil, acrylic, and fiber to relay her personal experiences. She primarily focuses on subjects such as beauty standards, maladaptive daydreaming, and the representation of Black people in global media. Rell is a classically trained singer and studied voice for six years at Rogers CAPA and Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. Rell discovered her passion for drawing and painting when preparing her portfolio for Art and Design College.