Ellamonique Baccus is an art therapist and the Director of WisdomTree Arts. As the art consultant for the redevelopment of 9th Street in District 1, Ella engaged 200 community residents in the design process. She has worked for the past 10 years at the intersection of Community Development, Behavioral Health, Youth Development, and Civic Engagement designing and implementing Public Art Projects that transform urban landscapes and promote community health through cross sector partnerships. Ella relocated to Wichita from Chicago where she was a Clinical Counselor and completed over 30 public art projects providing training in the arts and life skills to over 1,500 youth. She earned a Masters of Arts in Art Therapy from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The sticker design depicts the Adinkra symbol of the Siamese Crocodiles that share one stomach. Whatever one crocodile eats benefits them both. This symbol meaning unity and democracy reminds us that Wichita and especially District 1 is a union of people from different cultural backgrounds that must achieve commonly shared objectives despite their divergent views and opinions about their way of life.