A unified Cape Girardeau? One local artist says art is the answer.

Where most people saw a gray concrete wall, Malcolm McCrae saw a blank canvas.

McCrae’s mural, “A Wish of Hope,” is hard to miss when traveling along Cape Girardeau’s riverwalk downtown. Just south of the Themis Street floodgate, the 20-by-30-feet mural — which McCrae finished this past month — depicts a young girl blowing dandelion seeds into a gust of wind.

“A Wish of Hope” embodies much more than its bright-colored, aesthetically pleasing image. The mural is part of an ongoing, yearslong campaign spearheaded by McCrae called Pollinate Cape.

Through Pollinate Cape, McCrae, a local airbrush artist, hopes to use art to unite the city and create spaces where art is affordable and accessible to everyone.

McCrae operates under the philosophy everyone is a pollinator, or potential spreaders of peace and positivity.

“Pollinate Cape is built around pulling people together and giving people a perspective of how we can all work together to better the world,” McCrae said.

Pollinate Cape has three main objectives: create, share and grow. Just as bees pollinate the earth, McCrae wants to pollinate Cape Girardeau with art through public art initiatives. “A Wish of Hope” is just one of several projects McCrae plans to unveil in the next five years.

In the future, McCrae plans to paint more murals and coordinate other art projects.

Local artist Sky Smith helped McCrae paint “A Wish of Hope.” Smith said he knows firsthand how public art can influence people.

Smith grew up in Southeast Missouri, and remembers coming to downtown Cape Girardeau as a kid and seeing local artists’ work. Those experiences inspired him to become the abstract artist he is today, and why he assisted McCrae in painting “A Wish of Hope.”

“We want to keep Cape a prettier and positive space,” Smith said.

Michael “Crank” Curry, owner of Fingerprint Urban Dance Studio, documented the mural’s painting with a video.

“I’m so excited to see where this will go, how it will change Cape for the better,” Curry said.

Smith and McCrae’s mural boasts bold pinks and blues. It’s subject, an African American girl blowing seeds off a dandelion, juxtaposes the 30-year-old riverfront mural (that may soon be replaced) just a short walk up river.

When choosing a subject for the riverwalk mural, McCrae said he wanted it to depict a side of Cape Girardeau’s history that often goes untold.

“There are very few African American images on both sides of the wall,” McCrae said. “[There’s] one African American gentleman seen unloading some stuff off a ship. That doesn’t really tell a story or show people there is actual African American culture in Cape Girardeau and the area.”

The mural was a 10-year effort, McCrae said. He worked with city manager Scott Meyer and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri also chipped in financial support for the mural.

The project would not have happened without the support of the city and arts council, Smith said. It was a community effort.

“That’s ultimately what we’re trying to do — bridge gaps,” Smith said. “Art lets average people in the community interact with others who they may not connect with normally, and come together and talk.”

Malcolm McCrae paints a mural on the side of One City's building July 17, 2018, in Cape Girardeau.Southeast Missourian file

McCrae was exposed to the power of art from a young age.

He was born in Milwaukee to parents who fostered his artistic endeavors. His dad, Bankole Agbon, taught art at a Boys and Girls Club in a high-crime, poverty-stricken neighborhood.

“All my life, I’ve seen art heal people,” McCrae said. “Whether you’re dealing with poverty, pain or death — there’s a lot of trauma that goes along with life. Creativity gives people an opportunity to turn all that off and let the subconscious mind play.”

McCrae moved to Cape Girardeau 12 years ago. He said he soon noticed a need for more creative spaces in the area.

So, in 2019, McCrae created a “community center on wheels” called the Pollination Station — a 40-foot coach bus renovated into a mobile art space and studio.

“A lot of creative artists come through our area, but leave because there are no affordable spaces for artists,” McCrae said. “That’s why I created Pollination Station out of a bus.”

Pollination Station is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit. McCrae lives in the bus with his wife. They’re driving it on a trip through the South to meet with other creatives.

Next on McCrae’s agenda: pollinate other states. He’s currently working on Pollinate the States, a potentially nationwide initiative to spread love and art to places other than Cape Girardeau.

Ultimately, wherever he is, McCrae said he wants his art to spread happiness.

“I just want to give people an opportunity to see beautiful things and smile,” McCrae said.

Pollinate Cape is financed entirely out of donations. To get involved, donate or learn more about Pollinate Cape, visit www.malcolmmccrae.com/pollinatecape.