Credit: Courtesy of Jimmy Monto | Tomorrow's Neighborhoods Today

Tony Washington recalled his earliest memory of drawing a family portrait with his father. 

Washington was a toddler. On the kitchen floor of his childhood home in Dewitt area, he sketched a circular figure that looked like a smiley face with arms and legs protruding from the head. The drawing resembled a spider, he said.

His father encouraged him to add other elements to the illustration, like a large oval to give the characters bodies. Washington was in awe of what his father had drawn. 

Washington now says that moment set him on the path to finding his calling: being an artist. 

“I know this is one of the hardest things you can possibly do as a person is try to be a Black artist in the United States of America,” Washington said. “That is a tall order, but it’s an order that I’m willing to fulfill if I can make a difference in the world. Anytime I make art, I want to make somebody smile. I don’t just want to get rich off of it.”

Washington’s art will now be featured as part of the City As Canvas mural project. Tomorrow’s Neighborhoods Today mural and public art project started in 2022. Washington’s work will be displayed in the Inner Harbor near Onondaga Lake. TNT is unveiling the work at noon on Sunday. 

TNT has put up six murals citywide. Once Washington’s mural and another mural in the Valley are unveiled, the organization will have put up eight. 

“Tony Washington’s use of bold colors and dynamic compositions can energize the Lakefront area, adding a lively and eye-catching element that enhances the visual appeal of the space,” said Tina Zagyva, 

Washington was selected out of seven artists in a ranked-choice ballot process. All of the voters involved in the process were members of the TNT’s Lakefront neighborhood group, Zagyva said. 

In addition to his work for TNT, the Jamesville-Dewitt High School alum has produced artwork in various mediums. He’s created murals, photographs, paintings, and sculptures. His work has been displayed throughout the city, including Delavan Studios, the Community Folk Art Center, Flower Skate Shop and the Gear Factory. 

Washington’s path to painting the murals at the lakefront has been a winding one. While he has always been certain of his desire to be an artist — his father draws and his mother quilts — Washington struggled to pick a discipline.

At the SUNY Purchase School of Art and Design, Washington switched majors three times as he tried to figure out which art discipline suited him best. He found an outlet in creating and selling fliers, album artwork, T-shirts, and print works to his peers. He even sold T-shirts for $10. 

Washington dropped out for a time before finishing his degree in 2012. 

“It made me a better artist, and it taught me a lot,” Washington said, “but not a whole lot of it came from what I learned in the classroom.” 

Since 2017, Washington has submitted his work to be selected for a public mural, he said. He’s proud that his work has finally been chosen. 

He believes the lakefront mural has a depth beyond being a decorative piece.

“I’m really excited that my mural was chosen this time around because I got an opportunity to really represent myself and represent the people that I wanted to have a voice in the city: the LGBTQ community, the communities of color, and the black community,” Washington said. 

His other works interpret his ADHD diagnosis, his identity, music and pop culture, and the need for self-expression, he said. Washington believes art should be accessible to people across socioeconomic classes.

For his work in the Lakefront neighborhood, Washington chose colors he believes are representative of his hometown, the Pride flag and the Pan-African flag. 

The paintings were done on T-panel pillars and took 10 days to complete, he said. 

“Art needs to be a part of daily life for everybody on this planet,” Washington said. “It is just as important as food, clothing, and shelter.”

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Yolanda Stewart was raised in the Bronx, New York City. Before choosing a career path in journalism she found a voice in writing plays, short stories, and a myriad of other creative outlets. She is a 2022...