Rell Rushin with FroGang Foundation, Inc.

This visual artwork by artist Rell Rushin, in collaboration with FroGang Foundation, Inc., is part of the Public Art and Communities Program. Project managed by OPA and Jessica Gaynelle Moss, this work addresses the racism faced by Black women and girls in the Pittsburgh region. FroGang’s mission is to promote and create positive self images for young girls of color so that they can recognize their self worth and see beauty when they look in the mirror. Working closely with the girls of FroGang, Rushin will install a visual artwork in FroGang’s home neighborhood of Beltzhoover that seeks to affirm the importance of self-love, sisterhood, confidence, and connection.

Rushin began collaborating with FroGang and project manager Jessica Gaynelle Moss in Summer 2021. Soon after, Rushin started attending FroGang’s bimonthly Successful Sister Sessions. During these sessions, FroGang works 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 a collaborative artwork with positive visuals to empower both the girls of FroGang and the community at large.

This artwork will be developed with the FroGang girls over the course of 2022 and will be installed in an open lot in the neighborhood of Beltzhoover, the neighborhood in which FroGang is based. Once installed, the completed artwork will serve as backdrop for FroGang events, programs, and activities.

Ultimately, FroGang hopes that the process of creating this artwork with Rushin will help their girls build new relationships, learn what it means to collaborate creatively 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.

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.