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ABLE

Able mural street art Nashville Tate

Back last July, a new mural appeared in the Stocking 51 development. It promotes the nearby fashion store found in that complex, ABLE. ABLE employs low-income women from around the world, seeking to help them achieve a living wage and a measure of independence. Some of their work, notably their jewelry, is made by women here in Nashville, while other products, including leather goods and clothing, are made by their partners abroad. The mural naturally features women and the company’s motto “She’s worth more.” It’s by  Sarah Liz Tate, a Nashville illustrator who appeared on this blog a month ago for her Crieve Hall mural, which is actually more recent than the ABLE mural. On Tate’s Instagram page, you can see some shots of the mural when it was half done. This mural does replace another mural by Chloé Meyer, which was a mural based on her winning 2018 entry in Georges Debouef wines annual contest for the art that will be on their label for the most recent vintage of Debouef Beaujolais Nouveau. All art is ephemeral, so perhaps it’s short life is appropriate for a mural honoring such an ephemeral wine.

On a happier note, Tate got married last weekend. Mazel tov!

Located at 5026 Centennial Boulevard. There’s parking there and along 51st Avenue North, though it can be tough, particularly around lunchtime.

 

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Foolish pleasure

Beaujolais mural street art Nasville

Every year, Georges Debouef wines holds a contest for the art that will be on their label for the most recent vintage of Debouef Beaujolais. The winner in 2018 with her work “Foolish Pleasure” was Chloé Meyer, an artist with roots in Nashville and San Franciso. How a mural version of it wound up outside of Nicky’ Coal Fired Pizza I’m not sure – whether they or the owners of the Stocking 51 building gave permission for it I do not know. Certainly, it’s a wonderful splash of color in an area that while gentrifying and increasingly full of outdoor art, still displays its industrial legacy strongly. It’s a nice reminder of summer in these winter days.

UPDATE: This mural has been replaced.

There’s also a “For Becks” lego man on the other side of Nicky’s, in the ramp going up to the local branch of Frothy Monkey. These have been popping up around town – see this example below.

Lego man mural street art Nashville

Located at 5026 Centinneal Boulevard. There’s parking there and along 51st Avenue North.

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Marathon Gas Mural

Marathon Gas mural street art Nashville

The new mural by Michael Cooper of Murals and More is an interesting addition to Nashville’s outdoor art scene. Unlike most outdoor art murals in town, tourists won’t be getting their portraits taken in front of it, pretending perhaps to be run over by the large truck in the center.  The Marathon Gas terminal on 51st is decidedly industrial and off-limits to outsiders. That fence is as close as you’ll get without an invitation. But the Marathon terminal is also in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood, on the north end of The Nations. Just down the street are places like Nicky’s Coal Fired Pizza, an outpost of Frothy Monkey, and a Frutta Bowls. Fancy apartments have opened a couple blocks north, and more are coming. And murals are popping up all over as part of this gentrification, such as the one for Village Realty and of course the giant silo mural. Marathon may simply be trying to stay in tune with the changing neighborhood, or it may be playing a little defense. The Nations used to be the kind of low and middle-income neighborhood that an industrial site holding hazardous material is often found in, but now Marathon has wealthier neighbors not always accustomed to living near such a site. Some art might make the relationship a little easier. In the slideshow below, take a look at how Cooper cleverly incorporated the Marathon sign that was already on the building.

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Located at 1472 51st Avenue North. There is some street parking south of the railroad and at local businesses. A path has recently been installed along the fence, and there’s a picnic table as well. Grab a cup at Frothy and enjoy the art!

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Garage colors

HuntsGarageMain

I don’t usually do new work, but this is fairly new. The building appears to be part of Hunt’s Garage in The Nations. That’s what the gentleman working there seemed to indicate when he came out and joked that taking pictures of the mural would cost me $20. While the mural is unsigned, the same man told me that the artist who did this also painted an old trailer (of the big rig kind) for him. Well, that trailer (see below) has the “Rasmo” tag on it, which is a tag commonly found on UH crew installations. So call this a UH crew project, or at least UH adjacent. That’s where I’ll put it on the Artists page until I hear otherwise.

Located on 52nd Avenue, between Lousiana and Pennsylvania Avenue. The trailer sits at the three-way corner of 52nd, Centinneal Blvd, and Pennsylvania.  Street parking is available.

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Mapping The Nations

Nations Map

One of the most prolific art scenes in Nashville is not found in any gallery or trendy neighborhood, but on the outer walls of the many Latino grocery stores scattered around town. Murals depicting the fruits and vegetables found inside or idealized images of the old country are common themes. The murals found in And another market and Mi casa es su casa are good examples. Usually, these are found in lower-income neighborhoods where immigrants tend to congregate. But what happens if one of those markets finds itself in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood like The Nations? Well, the owners of the Savemore Super Market found themselves in that position and decided to transform their market into the 51st Deli. Most of the groceries went away in favor of a deli/taqueria with a large menu. A new identity called for new art. So they asked Ruben Torres, who had done the market’s original fruit-themed mural featured in Frutas!, to come up with something new – a shout out to neighborhood pride instead of the more traditional old country pride. Torres’s map is elegant, perhaps in keeping with the clean lines of the all the new condos and modern houses spreading across The Nations. If you can’t beat the gentrifiers, join them, would seem to be the message.

Located at 1314 51st Avenue North, at the corner with Centinneal Boulevard – where the red star is in the mural! The mural faces Centinneal and often has cars parked in front of it. There is parking at 51st Deli, though at lunchtime you might have to park on a neighboring street and walk a bit. Grab some grub and enjoy the art!

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Swayze lives!

Swayze mural street art Nashville

 

Back last July, I reported on a small maritime-themed mural gracing The Centennial in On imagined seas. That mural is no more, but it has been replaced with a grander creation honoring Patrick Swayze and the original Point Break. It befits the nautical theme inside, and hey, who doesn’t like that insane movie. Of the remake – well, I will not speak as I know nothing. The new murals, which were installed April 21st and include not only Swayze but a surfer and a huge wave, is the work of I Saw the Sign, a hand painted sign company created by Nashville (by way of Ithica, NY) artist Meghan Wood. I Saw the Sign (FB) mostly does lettering as opposed to figurative murals, but here is an obvious and excellent exception. The huge, exuberant “The Centennial” (see below) is more in keeping with their other work. The murals. interestingly, are attached wood panels, which is unusual for mural art in Nashville.

Located at 5115 Centennial Boulevard near the busy intersection with 51st Avenue North. There’s a reasonable amount of parking at the bar, so grab a brew and a burger and enjoy the art!

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