A new mural on the back of Madison Design in Covington is putting a spotlight on a piece of LGBTQIA+ history that long went untold. ArtsWave Pride is scheduled to dedicate its first-ever commissioned mural in the city today, honoring Terry Noel, a Kentucky-born trans and drag performer who was active in the 1950s and 1960s.
The mural, titled “Every Day of Living Is a Gift,” sits at 515 Madison Avenue, according to ArtsWave Pride. As reported by Cincinnati CityBeat, the piece is located on the back of Madison Design on Madison Avenue and honors the life of Noel, a Kentucky native and trans/drag performer active in the 1950s and 1960s. The mural was photographed by Nathan Granger.
The commission also marks the 10th anniversary of ArtsWave Pride's mission, which the outlet describes as bringing the tri-state region's LGBTQIA+ people and allies together to support the arts. Emil Wiersma is the artist behind the project, per the same report.
Where the Mural's Title Came From
The mural's title comes from a 2006 interview with Terry Noel, the ArtsWave Pride page notes. In her own words from an earlier interview, Noel recalled joining a touring drag revue decades before: “I joined the Jewel Box Revue in Asbury Park, NJ in the spring of 1959,” she said, according to the vickirene.net interview archive.
Madison Design partner Jackie Roberto said the business believes in artists and creative expression, and is excited to participate in Covington's commitment to public art and placemaking, the station's report states. The sentiment echoes a broader push in the city: ArtsWave has described public art as a way of strengthening neighborhood identity and fostering connection, part of its growing commitment to creative placemaking in Northern Kentucky, according to the NKyTribune. The mural initiative, ArtsWave has said elsewhere, was intended to extend that work into public space and increase LGBTQIA+ visibility, per a separate NKyTribune report.
Public Celebration Scheduled for Today
ArtsWave Pride is scheduled to hold a public celebration at Madison Design from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. today, open to everyone. The gathering is set to feature mingling time for attendees and statements from people involved in the project, including Wiersma, per the same account.
Tours of Madison Design and a history lesson from Jacob Hogue, author of “Cincinnati Before Stonewall,” are scheduled to follow the mingling and statements. Hogue is also expected to discuss Noel's life and the inspiration behind the mural, rounding out an afternoon built around remembering a performer whose story predates much of the region's modern LGBTQIA+ visibility.
The Covington mural follows other recent public art efforts in the city, including “Pineapple on Pizza,” an outdoor mural ArtsWave helped unveil at The Gruff earlier this year alongside Rust-Oleum and the artist collective Often Seen Rarely Spoken, according to the NKyTribune. With “Every Day of Living Is a Gift” now on Madison Avenue, ArtsWave Pride adds a historical, LGBTQIA+-focused chapter to that growing collection of street-level storytelling in Covington.
