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A noble brew

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It wasn’t that long ago when Hunter’s Custom Automotive used to be on the bend in the road where Main Street becomes Gallatin Pike (they moved to Trinity Lane). And for years they owned a small concrete building they used for storage that lay across the street. And until just before they moved, there was no light. So you would see Hunter’s guys racing across a busy four-lane road with whatever they needed for the current job. Well, a light went in and Hunter’s decamped, and the little concrete block building was transformed into something much larger – Noble’s Kitchen and Beer Hall. Back in January, Noble’s acquired this Eric Bass mural (who signs his work “Mobe Oner”). Bass/Oner has done a number of murals, including one just down the street I haven’t featured yet at Greko Greek Street Food. (And more art inside.) I asked at Noble’s and no one knew who the gentleman in the mural is – he may just be from Bass’s imagination. I like the clever use of the fire hydrant in the mural – see below.

Located at 974 Main Street. The mural is on the east side of the building, facing 10th Street. There is a fair amount of parking at Noble’s. Unfortunately, a lot of it is right in front of the mural, so if you want to get a clear view of it, go early in the morning before Noble’s opens.

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Karma

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Most people don’t know it, but the biggest industry in Nashville is health care, not bachelorette parties. Still, all that money from the explosive growth in tourism has brought a lot of well-heeled investors to downtown, forcing out smaller, locally owned businesses that catered to an earlier, more laid back tourist scene. Karma Boutique, founded in 1990, is a survivor. Increasing rents have forced it to move various times, but it’s still here. When it landed in its current location on Third, it gained a new mural to help it stand out. Karma sells clothing and accessories that I’m going to call neo-hippie, much of it handmade by owner-operator Terri Sanford. The mural by Billy Martinez – illustrator, painter, graphic designer, comic artist – is a different but complementary style.  Martinez runs Neko Press, the outlet for much of his work, and also the platform for his art classes.  His work here is definitely attention-getting.

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Located at 205 Third Avenue North. This is downtown, so plenty of parking, none of it free. There is a paid parking lot across the street, but it isn’t cheap. Load up on handmade clothing and enjoy the art!

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Coloring the community

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The folks who own East Nashville BBQ Company may or may not have the very most colorful BBQ shack around, but they are certainly contenders. Many hands went into this mural, which is how artist Andee Rudloff often does things. In this project and others, such as the one featured in Down by the river, she contracted with a group of people who collaborated with her on both the design and the production. Here, the main collaborators were the children and families of the Boys and Girls Club of Middle Tennesee (Cleveland Park Club) and the Cleaveland Park Neighborhood Association. It’s also a Nashville Metro Arts Commision project, which helped fund it through its THRIVE Community Arts Project. There were other sponsors as well – check the list of names on the sign that’s featured in the slideshow below. As is often true with Rudloff’s collaborative works, there’s a video showing how the mural came together (the video is by Stacey Irvin). It shows Rudloff brainstorming with the kids, then painting the black and white outline of the mural, followed by the community pitching in to fill in the white spaces with color. It all came together June 2, 2016, and continues as a colorful marker of community spirit. Added bonus: There’s a couple of pigs out front – see the slideshow.

UPDATE: This building has been demolished, and the mural with it. No word on the pigs.

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Located at 829 Lischey Avenue, at the southeast corner of Lischey and Cleveland Street. The mural faces west towards Lischey. There is parking at the BBQ place and some street parking on Lischey. Load up on pork and enjoy the art!

 

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History in color

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When I first saw this Thoughts Manifested mural on the west wall of Plaza Art, (or PLA-ZA, as it says on the sign in front) I knew it had some cultural references I didn’t quite recognize. Sure, I knew about the artist who goes by “Kid Oak” and who puts up the acorn-hatted boy all over town. And I figured the hockey player was from one of our many pre-Predators teams. But although the images looked familiar, I was fuzzy on some of the references. Bryan Deese’s Instagram page helped set me straight. I should have known the boy with the donut was from the Donut Den, as I love their donuts. And though Twitty City became Trinity Music City some time ago, I had been to Conway Twitty‘s legendary Christmas light show years ago when I was a Vandy grad student, and I should have recognized the Twitty bird. The hockey player represents the Nashville South Stars, who played here 1981-1983. Too early for me, though I did catch a couple Nashville Knights games in the early ’90s (the hockey team, not the Lingerie/Legends Football League team). The dancing peanut is from The Peanut Shop in the Arcade, which got its start as a Planters Peanut store in 1927 but became independent in 1960. And there is, of course, the Prince from Prince’s Hot Chicken. There are catfish in the Cumberland River, and then there are those other Nashville catfish. The birds are symbols Thoughts Manifested uses in many of their murals, while Montana is the name of a spray paint company (whose cans you can buy at Plaza). L&N is the old Louisville and Nashville railroad, which was one of the major lines coming through Union Station, while CSX is the railroad company that ultimately absorbed L&N and has a regional headquarters here. Plaza Arts lies close to the still functioning CSX tracks. Wow, that’s a lot of links!

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Located at 633 Middleton Sreet in Pie Town. The mural is on the west side of the building, facing Seventh Avenue South. There is parking at Plaza and street parking on 7th. Load up on art supplies and enjoy the art!

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Chet Atkins, C.G.P.

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Though a little off center from the main downtown tourist center, this work draws in the tourists who want their picture taken with the great Chet Atkins, if only in bronze. This lost wax sculpture titled “Chet Atkins, c.g.p.” is the work of Nashville artist Russell Faxon, and went in in January 2000, a year and a half before Atkins’ death. Various music luminaries paid tribute at the unveiling, including Eddy Arnold, who said, “I’m delighted to be here because I met Chet back in 1896.” Atkins himself promised everyone that, “I’ll come to your outing if you have one.” The statue was paid for by Bank of America, the major tenant in the building that looms over the Atkins tribute. So what’s that “C.G.P” about? Certified Guitar Player, a designation Atkins gave out to those players he thought “excelled far beyond the normal line of playing.” Only five men, plus Atkins himself, got the title. There is of course that empty stool, placed there so you could have your picture taken with the man. Many tourists do, and local folks who just need a place to sit can also be found on the stool. I’m sure Atkins would be happy to play for any of them.

Side note: I was so astonished to find the statue devoid of humans, I parked in a hurry and raced to take pictures. You can see my little red car in the header above, and there’s a better shot below in the photo of the back side of the sculpture.

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Located at 414 Union Street. The sculpture sits in a small triangular plaza at 5th and Union, in front of the Bank of America Building. This is downtown, so plenty of parking, virtually none of it free.

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Rainbow pizza

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I would probably be two or three pounds lighter if Five Points Pizza did not exist. Opened about six and a half years ago in where else, Five Points, it quickly became a popular spot for a pie or a slice. A couple of the night shift take-out workers know my name. Oh, right, we were talking about art! A few months ago this Nathan Brown piece went up in the alley that separates Five Points Pizza from Battered and Fried. Again, it’s another one of Brown’s colorful geometry problems, and it’s also another example of Google Fiber promoting its brand through art sponsorship. I had to shoot it at an odd angle because of the geometry of the alley. A shot from the other side is below.

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Located at 1012 Woodland Street. The mural faces west and is impossible to miss from Woodland if you are headed east. There are paid lots in the core of Five Points, but free street parking is available if you walk a couple blocks.

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Attaboy

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For many years, when I talked about food in Nashville, I would say, “we’re ten years behind Atlanta.” But then the “It City” phenomenon took hold, gentrification went wild, and chefs from around the country began to establish themselves in Nashville. The bar scene quickly followed, including the decision of the much–ballyhooed New York City bar Attaboy to establish a branch in Nashville. Attaboy is different from most bars. They don’t take your drink order. Instead, they ask you what you like, and the bartender creates a concoction for you. The hard to miss sign is a product of Philadelphia artist Eric Kenney, who also goes by Heavy Slime. Kenney mostly does posters and t-shirts and does his own screen printing. Looking through his work, the Attaboy sign is sunnier than a lot of it. As for the chicken on the bike, while Kenney’s work features Death, Angry Snoopy, and a crazed Mickey Mouse, this is the only chicken I can find. I imagine it’s a nod to East Nashville’s most famous culinary export. And how does a Philly artist wind up doing a sign in Nashville? Because one the partners, Brandon Bramhall, is Kenney’s cousin (and a former bartender at the New York Attaboy).

Located at 8 McFerrin Avenue. The mural faces south, across from the alley that is halfway between Woodland and Main. There is limited street parking, and Attaboy has just a few spaces, so maybe you should just take a late night rideshare to get some cocktails and enjoy the art!

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