The RAW Project

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Rasheed Lowe 🇦🇼
The RAW Project at Dr. Henry W. Mack / West Little River K-8
Miami, Florida, U.S.A. 2026

As I mentioned in a previous post, this round brought us the pleasure of welcoming two new artists we’ve never worked with before, and one of them is Rasheed Lowe, a brilliant young man from the island of Aruba.

He got his start when a couple of artists visited his island when he was just a young boy. Rasheed was so fascinated by what those artists were creating that he kept going back every day, playing the part of a sponge, absorbing anything and everything he could from the folks painting. In the end, when they were done, they handed Rasheed their leftover paint, and the rest is history. Fast forward a few years, and he’s now painting his first-ever international mural alongside some of the greatest artists living today.

His determination, his obsession with perfection, and his overall demeanor were a pleasure to be around. He was once a child, determined to learn everything he could from artists who came to beautify his home. Now he’s doing the same for the kids experiencing his work. It’s all come full circle, and it’s a beautiful thing.

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David “Mr. June” Louf 🇳🇱
The RAW Project at Dr. Henry W. Mack / West Little River K-8
Miami, Florida, U.S.A. 2026

The RAW Project has the honor of working with artists from all over the world, with quite a few of them coming from the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Because of our friendship with these Dutch artists, the Kingdom’s help has been significant, providing some of the funds necessary to make the project happen. It’s a partnership that brought Their Majesties, King Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand and Queen Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti, to visit this school we first painted in 2022.

They were given a tour of some of the murals by our very own queen, Dr. April Thompson, principal of Dr. Henry W. Mack. It is an honor beyond words. This round brought us three artists: one returning (Mr. June) and two new artists for TRP—one from the island of Curaçao (Francis Sling) and one from the island of Aruba (Rasheed Lowe). Stay tuned for posts regarding their murals as well.

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This is Dr. April Williams. Our Queen, and THE reason The RAW Project exists.

Today, she is the principal at Dr. Henry W. Mack/ West Little River K-8 in Miami, Florida (our project from 2022). She used to be the principal at Jose de Diego Middle School in Wynwood (our first project from 2014). She was principal for only a couple of months before she gave us a shot at painting her school. If you know what JDD was before the project occurred, then you understand why we say she is one of the most important human beings in this city/ country/ PLANET.

She is what every school district needs, wants, and deserves. She is THE example people should use when talking about excellence in the field of education. When a parent is searching for the right person to lead the school they’re wanting to send their child to, she is who they’re looking for.

Dr. Williams, from the bottoms of our hearts, we love you. This post is meant to celebrate you during Black History Month, but you live in our hearts every moment of every day.

Never stop!