PHOTO COURTESY JESSICA GAYNELLE MOSS

An artist is painting a meaningful representation of the Hill District’s history, using art to tell the stories of its people.

Miami-based painter and muralist Tierra Armstrong created a mural that reflects the rich history of Black art and culture on the Hill as part of an artist residency program. The work, “The Hill Has Wings,” symbolizes taking flight on the Hill, as the building it is painted on stands at the highest point of the neighborhood.

Armstrong says the theme of the mural was inspired by the camaraderie she saw during her time staying in the Hill District.

“Everyone’s invested in each other’s lives and I thought that was so beautiful,” she says. “It was kind of like, ‘We stand together to lift the next man up,’ and I wanted the mural to exemplify that.”

The property that the work appears on is owned by the family of Jessica Gaynelle Moss. Moss is the founder of The Roll Up, a residency program that supports Black artists by offering philanthropic support. Armstrong is the program’s seventh resident since 2016.

Moss created The Roll Up to collaborate with struggling artists and give them a livable wage while they work. The residency budget accounts for everything from meals to transportation to art supplies. She says that the program was driven by her own financial challenges as an artist and a desire to reinvent the idea of what artist residency programs can be.

“Previously, so much of what my understanding about residencies is that they’re driven by production,” she says. “How can we create opportunities for rest? How can we care for our community?”

A panel of eight art professionals and nine neighbors on the block chose Armstrong, out of 89 applicants. Moss says that with the panel process, she finally “released control” when choosing who to work with on this residency.

“I let the neighbors speak for themselves, let other people choose whom they would like to work with and whose work they would like to see,” she says.

The Roll Up also has a fellowship opportunity; this year’s fellow, Charlotte-based filmmaker DaRemen J., created a short film that documents the process of making the mural and provides context for the story of the neighborhood.

An official unveiling of the mural is set for 12 p.m. on Nov. 5 at 752 Clarissa St.; the short film will premiere at 6 p.m. the same day at the nearby August Wilson House. Both events are free to the public.

The bright colors Armstrong used for the piece were chosen after speaking to the oldest neighbor on the block. The woman shared that her old house had been demolished by the city; she now lives across from it, somberly looking over at her past residence everyday.

When Armstrong asked the woman what she wanted to see in a mural, she requested something hopeful to look at instead.