New Orleans has come to be known for its food, music, history, and unmistakable culture. It is also hosting Super Bowl LIX, the most popular sporting event in the world, bringing hundreds of thousands of travelers from several locations who not only have the opportunity to experience the game, but the city itself. Additionally, the Big Easy boasts an eclectic art scene, featuring some of the most talented creators around. One of which is Jerin “Jerk” Beasley, a painter who pushes the boundaries of artistic expression, using his work as a visual journal. For the fourth installment of Origins: An NFL Collection, the National Football League collaborated with Beasley, Sneaker Politics and Statement Goods, in an effort to promote local artists and designers, and highlight their creative prowess and connection to the community.
For Beasley, this opportunity to partner with the NFL came with a bit of serendipity, to say the least. While the league was scouting event spaces during Super Bowl weekend, one of Jerk’s paintings came into view. “The [NFL] liked some of my art, so they reached out to the owner of the spot and asked for my contact information,” Beasley explains. During a conversation with the owner, a life-altering question arose, “Are you interested in doing something with the NFL?,” the owner asked. “I’m like, of course. I mean, it doesn’t even matter the magnitude. I don’t care what it is. When you say the NFL, you have to say ‘yes,’” the artist said with a smile.
While this collection took about 6 months to complete, the moment required a lifetime of preparation. Naturally, Beasley’s experience growing up in the Crescent City impacted his art, and the vibrancy of his hometown became a catalyst for the direction he wanted to go with this year’s Origins. Speaking on the inspiration for this particular project, Beasley stated that “I really wanted to embrace the culture of New Orleans. When I’m creating, I always like to use bright colors. I like to use soulful things to try to tell my story. So the colors alone in my art are always a representation of New Orleans.”
Jerin says that he wanted to showcase the Mardi Gras Indians in his new work, a citywide tradition that was developed as a form of cultural resistance when traditional African religions were banned and Black people could not gather in public or wear masks. “I tried to focus Origins on these Indians because in New Orleans we have a thing called Super Sunday,” says Beasley. “That’s when the Indians come out, dance, and show the outfits that they’ve been working on throughout the year. In football culture, Super Bowl Sunday is considered Super Sunday. So I wanted to bring the two themes to the forefront, and blend them all together.”
The concept of “blending” became a common theme for this collection; alongside Beasley, the brand Sneaker Politics and the design duo of Statement Goods were all integral parts of the fourth installment of this pioneering initiative. To launch the collection, the NFL will host a one-day-only pop-up event produced by Six Degrees, a black-owned marketing agency on February 6, where fans will be able to exclusively shop the merchandise and learn more about the brands behind the collection, shedding more light on the beauty of the city, as well as the immense talent of its inhabitants.
Although Beasley is elated for the masses to view and purchase his work, he’s more excited about what his city has to offer its visitors. “New Orleans is a place of creativity, and people coming from around the world come here to film movies, write books, work on albums, everything,” he says. “I’m blessed to be in the city, and I’m privileged to live in this city, and I want folks to know that it’s special and not to be overlooked.”
To register for the pop-up shop during Super Bowl week, visit NFL.com/origins, and for fans outside of New Orleans, select styles from the collection will be sold online at NFLshop.com/origins beginning February 7.