OHRP's mural "Unity through Diversity Overcomes Adversity" is by local African American artist, Gemal Woods. Born and raised in the "Steel City" of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he is a self-taught artist with a passion for presenting images of urban existence and common aspects of African-American life. He is an active student of the hip-hop dynamic and its influence is evident in many of his works. His beliefs and personal experiences also add a unique splash of flavor to his work. While he experiments in a variety of mediums, he works predominantly in acrylics, pen and ink, and colored pencil.

Woods' expressions are not limited to the visual arts, but include poetry and other literary endeavors. Adding the suffix "ism" to Gemal simply implies that Gemalismis the act, practice, and result of being Gemal--less the ego and purely the spirit of his creativity. Gemalismis the entire body of work by the artist, from the stroke of the brush to that of his pen.

[The Mural is copyrighted by OHRP and may not be reproduced without permission.]