The Power of Community: An Interview with Raasin McIntosh

Raasin cited dumping and other environmental injustices, infrastructure issues, lack of job opportunities, and lack of school funding as some of the direct results of the 1928 Master Plan. “This [plan] was intentional, so we want to be intentional with our work so that we can tell the story and the nuances, reverse the things that are happening and educate others on what the environment should look like,” explains Raasin.

One of the biggest takeaways of the work that Raasin in the Sun does is understanding that the power comes from the unification of different cultures and communities working towards a bigger goal. In particular, environmental injustice isn’t something that only affects one community, so it makes sense to work together to address it. According to Mural Arts’ Environmental Justice department, “Climate change affects all of us,
but not equally. Low-income communities of color are the most vulnerable to the risks—including flooding, heatwaves, and food insecurity—even though they are the least responsible for their causes.”

For this reason, Raasin leads her artistic work with culture first and frames all of her work through the lens of community. Knowing that there are whole communities that have been historically silenced and are now finding their voice, Raasin wants to create a platform for those stories to be told. “We choose projects that tie into our mission to understand BIPOC communities and people who have been marginalized, and give them the opportunity to heal and be involved,” says Raasin.

Raasin’s work of cultural restoration is rooted in community work, something that Mural Arts Director of Staff Muralists & Mural Training Instructor Dave McShane is also trying to implement more in Austin. “Austin has embraced street art more than Philadelphia,” McShane explains, “but currently they have a culture of independent artists, and less community work.”

It was so exciting for Dave to bring what he has learned as an artist in Philadelphia and working with Mural Arts to Austin, and show other artists the possibilities of collaboration. “Raasin has been putting together opportunities for artists in different capacities and has done some interesting projects,” says Dave. “I think what this allows her to do is think wider and gain confidence in taking on bigger and bolder things.”

Using the model of Mural Arts Philadelphia to develop of new murals that engage the community they are in, Raasin and Dave have been able to pass on knowledge and support a new generation of artists in Austin.

Perhaps the most rewarding part of being part of the Arts and Environmental Justice Capacity Building Initiative is the connections that Raasin has made with the other partner sites. “It was a true blessing to be in the cohort with Santa Fe and Kern County,” she says. “Both stories and the work they do in their communities are beyond inspirational.”

Hear more from Raasin and the other partners in Santa Fe and Kern County this September at the Mural Arts Institute’s Arts and Environmental Justice Capacity Building Initiative!

Along with the other partners, Raasin will be presenting a minidocumentary on Tuesday, September 14, 2022, at 1:45 pm EST at the Free Library. These documentaries outline their collaborative, participatory arts-based processes to address local environmental justice issues in their communities and how those moved the needle.