Thank you to Jahru and Julia, with Future History Now, for trusting me with this Mo Gaba portrait for the Bike AAA ground mural at Lindale Middle school. This was a collaborative effort with Lindale and the local biking community in an effort to create a small-scale course with roadways, sidewalks, crossings, intersections, etc. where children can learn safe biking and walking in a safe and fun environment. 

     I was asked to create a portrait of Mo Gaba to put in a section of the ground mural, which quotes his powerful words, "Make Every Day A Win!" Mo Gaba graced this earth with his presence from January 26th, 2006 to July 28th, 2020. In that short amount of time, he used his love of sports to spread as much joy as he possibly could. Known for calling local sports radio stations in the Baltimore area while he was bedridden fighting cancer. With his bubbly personality and brightly shining light, he became a local favorite amongst sports fans. He became the first person to announce a draft pick read from brail in NFL history for the Ravens and threw out the first pitch at the Oreals game. Mo Gaba became a staple in the local Baltimore sports community and he will be greatly missed. 

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     This project is just another example of how FHN connects the local community through art projects to create moving and valuable art. FHN is a wonderful non-profit organization that brings together teaching and youth artists to provide a safe space to nurture creative thinking and self-expression for the youth of the greater Annapolis area. 

⁠    Thank you to Bike AAA, Lindale Middle School, and Future History Now, for trusting me with an important portion of this project. Thank you to the Arts Council of Anne Arundel Council for their generous support, and last but not least to the team that helped pull this off: Jahru, Julia Gibb, Jon Korin, M.E. Macdonald, Stephanie Baker, and Shannon Steele.

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Please visit Future History Now to donate and learn about this and other youth projects. And visit Bike AAA to learn more. ​

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Design: The Artist Oliver James, Shannon Steele, Julia Gibb

Photography/Videography: Oliver James Studios

Photography: Jon Korin, Jeff Adler, Nigel S, Salley Stevens