In late 2024, Billy Kearins received word that Key West’s Art in Public Places (AIPP) group was bidding out projects for the new Frederick Douglass Community Center. His heart and mind immediately began mapping out sketches on his drafting table. Kearins, founder and creative director of Coast Projects, where he is recognized for his eclectic art designs and creative projects, has called Bahama Village home over a span of three decades.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to live, work, create and build a life with my two kids in one of the neighborhood’s oldest structures,” said Kearins, referring to his Whitehead Street property, where his home, studio, store and gallery are located in Bahama Village. “History surrounds us — and seeps into every turn we make on our morning walks around the block or afternoon bike rides to the beach.”
Among the three projects out for bid by AIPP, one included an outdoor mural, 42 feet wide by 16 feet tall. Kearins, equipped with years of experience in street art-styled murals, wanted to use his experience with screen printing and street art to bring something “graphic and bold,” adding an urban look to the mural, while using bright colors to fit the positive climate of the community.
Soon after, Kearins submitted his bid and was awarded the mural, titling it, “It Takes a Bahama Village” – an artistic license on the, “It takes a village to raise a child” concept he used to honor those who “ultimately settled and galvanized Bahama Village over the years.” Kearins said, “it takes a village to raise a child” has been traced back to various African cultures — an endearing trait synonymous to the area.
“I was excited to get to work,” Kearins said. “My head was buzzing with ideas, followed quickly by late nights mapping it all out in my studio with windows open and the Bahama Village ambient soundtrack mixing together with a scratchy old Miles Davis record playing near my drafting table.”
The next step in the process would be the most difficult. Choosing who to showcase on the mural would require hours of visits and conversations with longtime Bahama Village residents and Key West historians. Kearins carried a notebook and collaborated with longtime locals, constantly asking for their opinions.
“I wanted to distinguish between the famous residents and important ones because the two don’t always overlap,” said Kearins. “Overall, the essence of the idea, for me, is there have been many people involved in building, strengthening, fostering and ultimately continuing the legacy of this place.”
He settled on 19 individuals who have shaped Bahama Village and the vital culture it represents in Key West. Names like Coffee Butler, Fats Navarro, Betty Cox, Roosevelt Sands and Vina May Saunders are amongst those on a distinguished list of legacies.
Kearin’s project is nearing completion during the 90-day allotted window, and he hopes his work will last for several decades.
“It’s an important project,” he said. “I’m proud and honored to have been chosen to make it happen. The neighborhood is one of the last you can still walk around and feel the past, meet families who have been here for decades who still show up for meetings and are passionate about their town. It’s sort of the last of its time…I’m just honored to hopefully capture some of that so we don’t forget.”
