Artist Ian Gaudreau keeps painting Iryna Zarutska mural after Providence mayor ordered it removed, petition launched to save it

A petition has been launched to save a Providence, Rhode Island mural depicting slain Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. The mural is set to be removed following outrage from local officials. 

The artist behind the mural, Ian Gaudreau, posted in support of the petition to social media, writing, "Petition to save the mural. We’re also looking for a new wall to host the mural. Please DM leads looking to host it in Providence downtown, but we are also open to Boston. The wall needs to be 45 feet tall at least and 37 feet wide at least."

The petition was launched by Anthony D’Ellena, chair of the Narragansett Republican Party. It calls on Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee, and the Providence City Council to protect the mural. 

"A mural of Iryna Zarutska — a Ukrainian refugee — is facing removal in Providence, Rhode Island. Mayor Brett Smiley has called it 'divisive' and 'misguided'. We strongly disagree," the petition states.

"Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was killed on August 22, 2025, in an unprovoked stabbing attack while riding the Lynx Blue Line train in Charlotte, North Carolina. A business in Providence wanted to memorialize Iryna, whose life was stolen in a horrifying act of violence by a man who shouldn’t have even been on the streets. Now the Mayor of Providence wants it taken down.

The mural was created to honor her memory and raise awareness about the consequences of failed soft-on-crime policies that hurt innocent law-abiding citizens. The same policies that led to her death are championed in Providence by Mayor Brett Smiley and in other communities across the country. We must confront these policy failures that led to Iryna's murder, not shutdown the reminder. 

It concluded, "don’t let Iryna’s story be erased." At the time of writing, the petition has received over 2,000 signatures. 

The mural was in the process of being painted on the side of gay nighclub The Dark Lady. The club said in a statement, "We heard you PVD. We are deeply and sincerely sorry for everything that has taken place over the past week. After reflecting and learning, we have made the decision to discontinue this project and will move forward with removal as soon as possible. We remain committed to fostering unity, safety, and care for all members of our community, and we will continue to listen, learn, and act with those values at the forefront."

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley claimed, "The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like this across the country is divisive and does not represent Providence. I continue to encourage our community to support local artists whose work brings us closer together rather than further divides us." State Rep. David Morales, who is running to replace Smiley, said that the mural "does not reflect Providence’s values." 

Gaudreau pushed back on claims that the mural was political in one way or another, writing, "As the artist I’m sad to hear the mayor is calling for my art to be removed before I finished speaking. The art is anti political agenda. I wanted to humanize Iryna. The blue shapes symbolize individual points of view, they’re almost strangling her and yet she shines through." He added, "I hope that this is what people will take away and put aside all of Put aside all of the political vitriol. Iryna Zarutska was a human being with a mother and father, who are still with us and still grieving."