I found this wooden stake on West Grace St. I recognized the Star of David and the Cross painted in white on it. I believe that between the two religious symbols is the letters "RAS." I did not know what this meant so I did some research. Here are my findingss:

The Rastafarian movement is a monotheistic, new religious movement that arose in Christian culture in Jamaica in the 30s. Its followers worshipped Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia as the Second Advent. Some followers see the Rastafarian movement more as a way of life than a religion. Rastafarian beliefs are based in Judaism and Christianity, which explains the Star of David, a Judaism symbol, and the Christian Cross bounding "RAS" on the wooden stake.

Perhaps the one who painted on this wooden stake is creating a tribute to his/her religious beliefs. In our class' text, Overlay, Lucy Lippard talks about how she believes art is for some people a substitute for religion. I am not saying that the person who painted religious symbols on the stake is forsaking religion for art, but I think more likely, he/she is using art as an outlet for religious expression. Indeed, according to Lippard, "some artists fortify their forms or emotional instincts with anthropological information". She continues to say that others work from inside, "arriving at primal images from their own needs, overlaying personal on historical and perhaps even biological memory." I believe this wooden stake is a very personal piece that was created with emotional beginnings. There is definitely a historical background to this piece.