Writing on the Wall

Sidedoor

Smithsonian Institution

Exhibits, Postal Museum, National Museum, Science, Tony Cohn, African American History And Culture, Air And Space, Zoo, Sidedoor, Dc, Art19, Washington, Megan Detrie, Pop Culture, Exhibit, Society & Culture, American History, History, The Smithsonian, Smithsonian, Museum, National Zoo, History Of The World, Natural History

4.7 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

From the time we’re old enough to hold a crayon, it feels instinctive to draw on the wall. But for MISS CHELOVE – also known as Cita Sadeli – this instinct became a calling. Through bold color and layered symbolism, she transforms everyday public spaces into deeply personal statements, inspiring some passers-by to wonder: what is the role of the public artist? And how can public art both reflect and shape a community's identity?

Guests:

MISS CHELOVE (also known as Cita Sadeli), independent Washington D.C. - based art director, muralist, designer, and illustrator
Sojin Kim, curator for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s exhibition: Sightlines, Chinatown and Beyond

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Side Door, a podcast from the Smithsonian with support from PRX.
0:13.7	I'm Lizzie Peabody.
0:27.4	Living in a city like D.C., I ride my bike a lot.
0:33.4	It's how I get to work, meet up with friends, get groceries, and so I often find myself riding through Thomas Circle.
0:36.2	It's one of the many roundabouts originally laid out to confuse invading armies who might try to march through the nation's capital.
0:43.3	And every time I ride around it, I pass by two women.
0:47.3	Okay, so it's evening time. I'm biking through.
0:51.3	Always there. Always the same.
0:55.0	There's a woman facing to the right, a woman facing to the left.
1:00.0	They stand back to back.
1:01.9	They look serious, determined.
1:06.1	And I'm not the only one they're watching over.
1:08.7	I asked a few people walking by what they noticed.
1:11.2	Yeah, both have got spears. Like, what I see, I see a Native American via traditional
1:16.3	native attire. Because you even see the jewelry on her arm and the earrings and stuff.
1:21.3	It makes me sort of think of like women warriors. And the right does look like some kind of Egyptian warrior,
1:28.3	because look at the attire on the chest.
1:30.3	It's like a shield of some sort.
1:32.3	It's beautiful.
1:33.3	I love the colors.
1:35.3	That woman on the left is definitely stressed about something.
1:37.3	Look at the gray in the hair.
	...

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