Jane Gabrielle McCadden received her BFA in socially engaged art, endeavoring to make “good trouble” in the spirit of former United States representative and civil rights activist John Lewis. An interdisciplinary artist spanning multiple genres with Appalachian folk-rock band Radar Rose, the resident of Northwest Roanoke is the current Gun Violence Commission artist in residence.

McCadden uses her self-portrait to depict Old Lick, a historic African-American burial ground, much of which was destroyed during Roanoke’s urban renewal project in the 1960s. In the work she raises questions of how the community might reverse the lingering damage of racist policies and the role of the individual in doing so. “In seeking wisdom, we must listen. And still, we’ll never fully understand the decimation of generational wealth and property of Black Roanokers.”