Painting of memorial mural on Providence LGBTQ+ night club comes to a premature halt due to local backlash

Kelcy Conroy

Managing Editor

Providence LGBTQ+ club The Dark Lady is known among local college students and queer youth for being a safe space to celebrate individuality. A recent Instagram post written by co-owners Randy D’Antuono and Buck Asprinio revealed the club’s plans to remove an unfinished mural that was being painted on the side of the building, sparking nationwide controversy and apprehension from community members. 

The Dark Lady was working with artist Ian Gaudreau to design a mural in honor of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who was murdered in North Carolina last summer. Gaudreau’s mural is connected to a national mural campaign funded by numerous CEOs, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk. 

Citizens took to social media to express their displeasure with The Dark Lady’s decision to collaborate on this mural. Some comments discussed the hypocrisy of an LGBTQ+ nightclub inserting a mural funded by conservatives, noting the anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric given by members of the conservative party. Others commented that the mural should represent someone or something connected to Providence, with one user suggesting something honoring the two Brown University students killed in December.

In a post released this past week, The Dark Lady commented that they “remain committed to fostering unity, safety, and care for all members of our community, and we will continue to listen, learn, and act with those values at the forefront.”

Local officials also criticized the mural. “The murder of [Zarutska] was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like this across the country is divisive and does not represent Providence,” commented Providence mayor Brett Smiley. 

On the other hand, The Dark Lady stressed that the mural was never intended to be political. “The mural was created for one reason: remembrance," D’Antuono and Asprinio stated in a social media post. People have also shown criticism towards their decision to remove the mural, with a user commenting on the post insisting they keep the mural and leave it as is “to symbolize how people are trying to erase her.” “Libs of TikTok,” a viral page on X, criticized mayor Smiley’s call for the mural to be taken down, calling on people to “let him know what you think.”

Gaudreau has been allowed to paint a mural on the side of Opa Restaurant on Atwells Avenue with the owner saying his reasoning is not political. “She was once an immigrant chasing the American Dream,” owner Francois Karam said of Zarutska. “This mural is our way of honoring her on a building owned by an immigrant family who understands that journey.”

Should The Dark Lady have kept the mural or replaced it with someone or something with ties to Providence? Share your thoughts by messaging The Anchor on Instagram.