East St. Louis, Illinois — Mykael Ash enjoyed collecting seashells along the Mississippi Gulf Coast as a child. His grandfather resides there, so beach trips were a common occurrence.
Ash stated, “It’s a calm energy.” “Most notably when you place the seashell to your ear.”
He still gathers shells at age 32. However, the geography in this city of 18,000 inhabitants is distinct. Ash walks on concrete instead of sand, gathering up bullet casings as he exercises through the city.
It dawned on him one day that he could include the shell casings into his artwork.
This East St. Louis Artist Transforms Bullets into Art, a YouTube video by Kaiser Health News
Before the pandemic, East St. Louis had one of the highest murder rates of any U.S. city, much to the chagrin of its people, who had been plagued by gun violence. Even while the rates have improved somewhat, it is still a growing problem in communities across the nation. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 47,000 Americans died of gunshot wounds in 2021, which was the highest number since the early 1990s.
In Ash’s studio, spent ammo combines with caution tape, shredded tires, shattered glass, and paint to create works of art that reflect tales of race, resistance, and history. Ash stated that the art is of a personal nature.
In his studio, Mykael Ash displays bullet casings he discovered on the streets of East St. Louis, Illinois. Ash incorporates gunshot casings and other found things into his artwork. Whitney Curtis on behalf of KHN
Since he turned 17, Ash has lost at least one friend or relative per year due to gun violence. This includes his 28-year-old cousin Dashaun “Bookie” Gage, who was murdered in front of a gas station across the Mississippi River in St. Louis in 2018. Ash and Gage had a tight relationship. Ash was so distraught by the loss of Gage that he stopped frequenting that petrol station. After the shooting, he turned to his art, making a portrait of Gage the same year.
“My work saved my life,” declared Ash. There are plenty additional topics that I could have explored.
Ash had a passion for painting at a young age. His mother, Gina Walker, recognized his interest in painting when he was two years old and the family had just relocated from Anchorage, Alaska, to East St. Louis. Walker stated that the trip required eight days to complete. Mykael drew while his parents were driving.
Walker stated, “He was painting before he could even speak clearly.” As a child, I predicted that he would become a world-renowned artist.
They relocated once more when he was 11 years old. Walker stated that the school district in East St. Louis had reduced financing for art, so she relocated her family to adjacent Belleville, Illinois, where Ash could attend schools with more comprehensive art programs at the time.
Walker stated, “He would visit a craft store and touch the paper.” The paper required to have a particular texture and weight.
His artistic talent and appreciation grew. Ash sold his first painting as a senior in high school. His art instructor, Dan Krause, paid $60 for the picture. Ash continued his education at the Art Institute of St. Louis until the institution’s closure in 2019.
Mykael Ash is seated in his East St. Louis, Illinois studio. Ash incorporates bullet casings he discovers on the ground into his artwork to convey messages about racial brutality, resistance, and history. Whitney Curtis on behalf of KHN
Ash is currently a resident artist at the House of Miles East St. Louis, a non-profit organization based in Miles Davis’ childhood home. Ash has painted at least 250 portraits of the jazz superstar, who is a source of inspiration for him. The president and co-founder of the House of Miles, Lauren Parks, remarked, “Each photograph has a distinct, emotive tone.”
As a birthday present for his mother in 2019, Ash curated a special exhibition at the House of Miles highlighting the resilience of the African-American community. Walker stated that each artwork exhibited pride.
His work also explores the darkest aspects of the city’s past.
Ash completed a portrait series about the East St. Louis race riot of 1917 using shell casings from today’s violence earlier this year. After three days of terrorizing the city, the unrest claimed the lives of as many as 200 Black citizens.
Ash stated, “It’s a cycle we’re kind of locked in.” We are left with its oppressiveness.
“Marching Through Oppression” by Mykael Ash depicts the East St. Louis racial riot of 1917, which left as many as 200 Black residents dead after three days of white mob terrorizing the city. Ash incorporates used gunshot casings and other found things into his artwork. Whitney Curtis on behalf of KHN
Ash also depicts the agony of the present. He made a mural to commemorate the 2019 murder of Cedric Gooden, a local rapper known as Cold Kase. “STOP THE VIOLENCE” is emblazoned on the mural he painted, a desperate scream that has echoed for decades.
The artwork also reads “CITY OF CHAMPIONS,” the motto of the city that produced not only Miles Davis but also Olympic gold medalists Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Dawn Harper Nelson, and Al Joyner. Ash thinks the motto will demonstrate that despite low resources, those who grow up in this city find a way to succeed.
Mykael Ash stands near a mural he made in memory of the 2019 shooting death of East St. Louis rapper Cedric Gooden. Whitney Curtis on behalf of KHN
Ash collaborated with fellow artists Kas King and Edna Patterson-Petty to paint a mural on the demolished front of a historic theater. Their art helped save the structure.
Ash stated, “I just want to illustrate the transformation that is attempting to occur.” People are attempting to clean the streets and conduct peaceful walks so that we can restore justice to the neighborhood and get money flowing in the city, which is essentially what we need.
Ash imagines a bustling, colorful city as he collects shell casings in areas of the city with vacant buildings and abandoned residences, and even when he walks to the grocery store near his grandmother’s house. He desires to convert the Third Ventricle Studios into an art gallery with co-op space so that other artists can exhibit their work. In the interim, he is reviving downtown corners and repurposing their gunshots into works of art.
“I see an empty canvas,” replied Ash. I see a location with great potential.
KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national news organization that delivers in-depth health-related journalism. KHN, with Policy Analysis and Polling, is one of KFF’s three primary running programs (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization that provides information on national health issues.
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