Last August, Micaela Levesque ’17 (CLAS) was commissioned to paint her first mural, and admits she was overwhelmed. Up until that point in her career, she had done oil paintings and portraits on a much smaller scale. But Levesque says she lives for a good challenge. So she got certified to use a scissor lift, put on her harness, and took a chance.
The result, unveiled in November, is Hartford’s newest mural, honoring the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and four other trailblazers in women’s history: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris; Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor; former First Lady Michelle Obama; and former Connecticut Governor Ella Grasso, who was the first elected female governor in the United States.
The vibrant two-story mural sits on the side of the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Women’s Empowerment Center, a resource hub for women in Central Connecticut. Levesque says this project was personal to her because women’s rights and diversity have always been at the core of her work. She was inspired to push through her initial nerves thanks to the fierce women on the wall, and hopes viewers young and old can do the same when faced with their own battles.
“I feel amazing,” she says. “I feel like I created my own personal billboard.”
