Save the Boards

Save the Boards is an American nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis that collects and preserves street art that emerged during local protests of the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

The buildings that lined the streets where people marched installed boards on storefronts to shield the doors and windows from property damage.

"[4] Similarly, Black Lives Matter art has a history as well, with people creating posters, boards, and murals related to the movement.

[7] Utilizing donations from the community, the women rented pickup trucks, Uhauls and storage units to collect and maintain the boards.

"[6] In February 2021, Save the Boards collaborated with another art conservation project, Memorialize the Movement, and the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery (MAAHMG), sponsored by the Hennepin County Library to have an open dialogue with the community about an upcoming free three-day outdoor public art exhibit at Phelps Park in Minneapolis scheduled for May 2021.

[9] The founders, Leesa Kelly and Kenda Zellner-Smith, shared their motivations and explained "why preserving these artworks are important to the Black community.

[11] The organization believes that art has long served a purpose to be a tool for opening up difficult conversations in the face of social unrest.

[7] Save the Boards also calls to attention what they believe to be “manipulation of power and resources” through museums that struggle with equality in displaying marginalized stories.

[2] Since it is taking street art that may or may not be claimed, Save the Boards also acknowledges that any Black creators of the pieces may come forward and “retouch, reclaim, sell, keep, discard, showcase etc.” their work whenever they see fit.

[12] One of the artists is Cadex Herrera who as an educator and intervention specialist at an elementary school, commented that he felt he needed to contribute to something after Floyd's murder.

"[12] Street art especially murals, have been a long part of collective protest, and have typically served as a tool for "revolution, community building, and remembrance".

"The entrance of a Minneapolis bookstore, Moon Palace Books, boarded up and muralized in response to the George Floyd protests of 2020. This mural was collected and preserved by Save the Boards. [ 2 ]
Street art created in response to George Floyd protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This mural was collected and preserved by Save the Boards. [ 2 ]
"A mural was painted on the boarded up Hook & Ladder Theater at 3010 Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis. This mural was collected and preserved by Save the Boards. [ 2 ]
Street art generated in response to George Floyd protest in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This mural was collected and preserved by Save the Boards. [ 2 ]
Flowers outside of Cup Foods near where George Floyd was murdered. The mural painted in the background was created by local Minneapolis artists three days after George Floyd's murder. [ 12 ]