MACON, Ga. — UPDATE, May 14:
The money for the Little Richard mural raised in just one day. According to the Society Garden, as of Thursday, the GoFundMe raised more than their goal of $4,500.
North Carolina graffiti artist Jeks will be coming to Macon in mid-June to start the mural.
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After his death last Saturday, people around the world are mourning the loss of music legend Little Richard.
The artist passed away in his Nashville home at the age of 87.
Now, some Central Georgians are working to honor the Macon native and his legacy with a mural at The Society Garden on Ingleside Avenue.
"I don't think there's a more important figure in music than Little Richard," says Society Garden owner Brad Evans. "For a gay black man to survive in Macon in the 1950s and '60s and to create the music that he created, I can't think of anybody I look up to more."
That's why Evans enlisted the help of graffiti and mural artist Jeks.
The North Carolina artist has done larger-than-life, hyper-realistic street art all over the world.
His work includes portrayals of figures like Leon Russell, Andre 3000, Big Boi, and Otis Redding.
To pay for the project, Evans set up a GoFundMe page around 9 a.m. Monday morning. By 6 p.m. that afternoon, community members had raised $4,500.
"People get excited when we can show off our town and that's the great thing about living here," says Evans. "We were surprised that it all came together that quickly."
Jeks will head to Macon in mid-June to start the mural on one of The Society Garden's brick walls.
"It gives us something to look forward to, to see a mural for such a wonderful person come to life in just a few weeks," says Evans.
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