This mural highlights the legacy of legendary Indianapolis hair-care entrepreneur Madam CJ Walker. “When I first started the concept, I asked myself what Madam C.J. Walker meant to me, as a black woman born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana,” said the artist, Tasha Beckwith.

Beckwith designed the mural to show historical facts and images of Madam Walker’s legacy along with figures of contemporary Black women, inspiring them – and men and women of all backgrounds – to follow their dreams as Walker did and become their generation’s own Madam CJ Walker. Beckwith also artfully scattered quotes throughout the mural in Madam Walker’s own words.

Tasha Beckwith is an Indianapolis-based visual artist. She studied painting and drawing at the Herron School of Art & Design, IUPUI, but honed her skills in graphic design and digital art on her own. Her portrait-based work combines expressionism, realism, and surrealism and she cites science fiction, fantasy, and Afrocentric themes as her inspirations. Recent work includes billboards encouraging participation in the 2020 census, participation in an artistic campaign encouraging people to #MaskUpIndy, and the neighborhood history mural inside the brand-new Martindale-Brightwood branch of the Indianapolis Public Library. Beckwith works in a variety of media including digital design, oil painting, and resin.