Canvas Archives - nashville public art

Nestled in the alcove that forms the entrance to the Hyatt House Nashville at Vanderbilt (actually a couple blocks north of Vandy) is this large image (it’s around ten feet high). It looks for all the world like a viny LP record that is melting, dripping in thin streams of color down the panel. If you’re just walking down the street, it jumps out in stark contrast from the white wall behind it, as you can gather from the context shots below. A deconstructed vinyl record in rapidly developing Midtown seems appropriate, particularly since it is just a few steps away from the Rock Block, itself threatened by growth. It’s by Eastside Murals, with a discreet signature on the side. Instead of their more common way of working by painting directly on walls, this work is on a large wooden panel. The wall it sits on is alternately smooth and rough, and you can see from the picture of the signature below, the artists shaped the wood accordingly. Is it coincidence that the void in the middle is the perfect place to stand to get your picture taken?

Hotels frequently use art, sometimes on a grand scale, but I think a giant wooden panel painted by local artists on the outside of a hotel is a little unusual. It certainly fits with the theme that Nashville business, even corporate chains, see outdoor art as a necessary part of their business plan.

Dripping vinyl mural street art Nashville

Located at 2100 Hayes Street. The mural is on the south side of the building facing Hayes, near the corner with 21st Avenue North. There is street parking on Hayes.

We, Chestnut Hill

If you are driving into downtown from Nolensville Road, you can’t miss it. Thousands of people zipping by in their cars (though slow down for that curve!) are urged to visit the neighborhood’s community gardens. Chestnut Hill, a small community situated roughly between 4th Avenue South, Lafayette Street, and the Trevecca Nazarene University campus, struggles to maintain its identity in the face of gentrification. It’s a mix of modest 19th and early 20th-century homes, recovering areas of urban blight, and brand new condos and boxy modern homes. Much of it is walking distance to downtown (well, if you are in decent shape), so it will likely be tough in the long run for lower income residents to hang on. It’s definitely a place to pay attention to. The mural here is actually a canvas banner, rare but not unheard of.

Located on the northwest corner of the underpass beneath the railroad bridge near the corner of Ensley Boulevard and Carney Street. Ensley is the one-way strip of road that connects northbound Nolensville Road with 2nd Avenue South. This is the 1500 block of Ensley. The only nearby parking is across the street at Trax. Street parking is iffy on Ensley, though there’s a gravel lot about a half block down from Trax.

December 11, 2016 0

An icon under the bridge, revisited

When I first saw this Dough Joe portrait of Miles Davis on Herman Street underneath the D. B. Todd Blvd. bridge, I did not realize it was a canvas. You don’t see many of those in outdoor art, but the bridge helps to protect it. The lettering below has changed recently. What used to be a very simple “Inspiration Place” has become an exuberant “Love the Hood.” The portrait of the white-haired individual is someone I recognize but can’t name, [UPDATE: It’s Nikki Giovanni] and is newer than the other two. I also include a stencil that may or may not be a Norf Collective production like the rest of this.