Providence mural gets new home after backlash

Clear Facts

• A new Providence business is now hosting the Iryna Zarutska mural after the original location dropped the project.
• Mayor Brett Smiley drew criticism for opposing the tribute and calling it divisive.
• The new site, Opa the Phoenician, is an immigrant-owned restaurant on Federal Hill.

The mural honoring slain Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska has found a new home at Opa the Phoenician in Providence.

This move follows a pressure campaign by left-wing activists and Mayor Brett Smiley that led a previous business to abandon the tribute.

Co-owner Francois Karam said the immigrant-owned restaurant is a fitting place to honor Zarutska’s pursuit of the American dream.

Artist Ian Gaudreau began work at the new site after the city’s political leadership opposed the original downtown location.

“The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like the one across the country is divisive and does not represent Providence,” Mayor Smiley said.

“[Iryna] was once an immigrant chasing the American dream. She worked to build a life for herself and lost it along the way. This mural is our way of honoring her on a building owned by an immigrant family who understands that journey,” Karam said.

Gaudreau said calls to remove the work before its completion stifled his freedom of expression and speech.

He said the mayor’s vocal opposition played a central role in the mural’s initial removal.

Supporters view the relocation as a victory against cancel culture and political intimidation.

The memorial will now be displayed prominently on Federal Hill.

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