This Artist’s Mural Leaves a Powerful Message That There’s Hope in the Face of Grief
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During the summer of 2020, avid cyclists and artists Adé Hogue and Lisa Congdon were commissioned to create a mural through the Easton Murals Project and the Greater Easton Development Partnership for the emerging Pennsylvania town on the border of New Jersey. At first they agreed the mural would be about their mutual love in cycling, but as unrest swept the country that summer following the murder of George Floyd, and the pandemic raged on, the friends decided their message should be about something bigger. They made a plan that once it was safe to travel again they would start the mural.
In the fall of 2021, they began early discussions about the project and decided on creating the mural Memorial Day weekend of 2022, the weekend of the Easton Twilight Crit that Hogue wanted to race in.
But Hogue would never make it to Easton. On the evening of October 27, 2021, he was struck by a driver doing what he loved: cycling. He died two days later from injuries sustained from the crash.
“Ade Hogue, 32, was a prominent designer and letterer with a passion for cycling—whether it was road, gravel, or cyclocross,” Bicycling wrote about Hogue in November 2021 following his death. “He lived in West Town and also worked at the Specialized store in Lincoln Park, both neighborhoods of Chicago. He also raced with Half Acre Cycling.”
Congdon, who was asked to deliver a eulogy at Hogue’s funeral in Chicago last fall, knew then this wouldn’t be the end of Hogue’s story. The artist understood she could play a role in keeping Hogue’s spirit alive, and quickly decided the mural would be a tribute to her late friend, a way for him to live on, and a way for her to grieve.
Congdon, an internationally recognized artist and illustrator, who has most recently been commissioned with Schwinn Bikes, designed kits with Velocio Cycling kits, and collaborated with brands as Target, Warby Parker, and REI, decided it would be important to head to Easton on the weekend she and Hogue had originally planned.
“Loss is always hard, but when you can process it in a tangible way it feels good, and I feel so grateful and blessed that I have this gift, that I can translate my grief into something positive and impactful,” Congdon told Bicycling.
And the artist figured out just how she would bring Hogue’s voice to the Easton mural. He had previously used his talent of lettering to design art (T-shirts, pins, posters) around the lyrics by Kendrick Lamar, “We gon be alright.” It was a message important to Hogue, and one he shared with his community. And a message many Americans were desperate to hear after the past few years.
“For me this idea that a person can live on is really powerful. And his work lives on. He was an amazing, energetic, compassionate human being, and an incredibly gifted artist,” Congdon said.
And the impression Hogue left on the cycling world was equally significant. Congdon added. “He was a really amazing voice in the movement to diversify cycling. He was a cyclist who had a really profound connection to the cycling community. He was all about getting more Black, Brown, queer, trans, and bigger people on bikes. I have had the privilege of meeting so many people through him who are also invested in that same goal.”
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Congdon said she wants people to feel joy when they see this mural and to be calmed by the message. And the message is there, on the Church Street side of the Easton Public Market, a message the community of Easton, Bicycling staff, riders with LA Sweat, Hogue’s sister and niece, and countless volunteers all worked together to create over five days through sun and rain.
“We Gon Be Alright: A Tribute to Adé Hogue.”
It’s there in Congdon’s signature style, which she calls a nod to mid-century and folk art design, that blends color and clean lines. Congdon often adds uplifting messages close to her heart in her work, and this time, it’s the message from a friend on the other side. And in the right corner of the mural is a bike with a bird flying above.
Congdon’s art reminds us that grief doesn’t have to be dark, it can be bright and beautiful. And she reminds us that art offers hope, and can pull those lost into light.
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