Behind the Sticker: Courage, Community, and the Art of Being Heard

Behind the Sticker: Courage, Community, and the Art of Being Heard

Art has a way of bringing people together, creating space for stories to be shared and voices to be heard. Sometimes, that connection begins with a mural that brightens a neighborhood. Other times, it lives in something small enough to carry with you.

For our November 2026 Sticker of the Month, TAPCO partnered with Tacoma artist Devona Roy of Art Deity to share a piece of a larger story through her design, Courage.

Inspired by Devona's community mural Muted Voices, the sticker carries a message rooted in inclusivity, empowerment, and the belief that everyone deserves to feel seen and heard.

The Story Behind Courage

Along East McKinley Avenue in Tacoma, near Eloise's Cooking Pot Food Bank, Devona's mural Muted Voices reflects the voices, experiences, and identities of the surrounding community.

The artwork features four individuals representing different ethnicities, each with a covered mouth and the words Courage, Love, Respect, and Peace emerging through the imagery. The colorful design was created to encourage reflection on inclusivity, representation, and the importance of making room for every voice.

What makes the mural especially meaningful is the community that helped bring it to life.

During a Memorial Day gathering, neighbors came together to paint within the outlines Devona had created, contributing their own colors to the artwork. People of different ages and backgrounds participated, turning the creative process into a shared experience of connection and belonging.

The finished mural reflects both Devona's artistic vision and the people who helped shape it.

Meet the Artist: Devona Roy

For Devona, creativity has been a lifelong passion. Drawing and painting were among her favorite childhood activities, and although her artistic journey evolved over the years, that love eventually became a lasting part of her life.

Through Art Deity, she explores different mediums, including oil, acrylics, and glitter, allowing each idea to develop its own style and expression.

Her inspiration comes from the beauty she finds in culture, history, and the possibilities of the future. At the heart of her work is a belief that beautiful art should be accessible and meaningful to everyone.

That perspective shines through in Muted Voices, where art becomes an opportunity for people to participate in the story being told.

Bringing a Piece of the Story to TAPCO

Our Sticker of the Month program celebrates artists whose creativity contributes to the character and connections within our community. Through these collaborations, we have an opportunity to share original artwork while introducing members to the people and stories behind each design.

With Courage, we're bringing a piece of Devona's larger artistic vision into TAPCO branches, giving members a chance to discover the meaning behind her work and the community that helped inspire it.

The sticker is the first in a series of designs we're developing with Devona, each offering another opportunity to explore her creativity and the messages woven throughout her artwork.

Creativity That Connects Us

The story of Courage reminds us how art can create connections between people, places, and experiences. A mural shaped by community participation now reaches new audiences through a sticker, carrying its message into everyday moments.

We're grateful to Devona for sharing her creativity with TAPCO and for the opportunity to celebrate the local artists who help make our community vibrant, welcoming, and connected.

As our Sticker of the Month collaborations continue, we look forward to sharing the stories behind the artwork and the people bringing those ideas to life.

Want to explore the mural that inspired Courage? Read the story behind Muted Voices and the neighbors who helped paint it, or discover additional artwork by Devona through Art Deity.