Writing on the Wall

Sidedoor

Smithsonian Institution

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

4.6 • 2.3K 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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