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Staying power

301RosaParks

I don’t post all the graffiti I see. A lot of it isn’t interesting enough. This skull is modestly interesting, but what gets it a blog post and a pin on the map is visibility. This has to be one of the most visible pieces of “wild,” uncommissioned graffiti art in town, outside of the tags on some of the interstate underpasses and highway billboards. It ranks presumably below the “MOIST” on the Riverfront Condominiums brick tower that can be seen from the Jefferson Street bridge for the number of people who see it each day, but given its prominent location on the Rosa Parks Boulevard underpass that whisks people from the north side to Church Street into the heart of downtown, a lot of people see it every day. Certainly, anyone using the TSU downtown campus parking lot sees it frequently. And it does have staying power. It’s been there at least a year. It would seem the Lofts owners are not deeply interested in removing it. If they do, I would recommend replacing it with commissioned art. Otherwise, something less interesting is likely to take its place.

Located at 301 Rosa Parks Avenue. Though at first glance this seems to be painted on a retaining wall, it would actually seem to be part of the Lofts at the Reserve complex. The mural actually faces Rosa Parks Boulevard, one block west from Rosa Parks Avenue. It is best viewed either from YMCA Way in front of the TSU parking lot, or, if you are adventurous, you can walk down the underpass road (Rosa Parks Boulevard) from Church Street. There is metered parking on YMCA Way.

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Well Mr. Twain, there’s always this place!

PrimmingsMain

Supposedly Mark Twain, often photographed with a cigar, once quipped, “If I cannot drink Bourbon and smoke cigars in heaven than I shall not go.” So perhaps he would have liked Primings Cigar Lounge and Bar, which opened in the summer of 2016. According to their website, Primings seeks to appeal to serious cigar connoisseurs, and it has its share of liquor as well. The mural, a Music City Murals work by Anthony Billups, includes the hashtag #handcraftthemoment, which is used by Four Roses Bourbon. Four Roses bottles are featured in the mural, and yes, it is on the menu. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jack Nicholson, Salma Hayek and Michael Jordan, all known for their love of cigars, grace the mural. There is also a small mural featuring a bottle of Four Roses and a cigar on the north wall (see below).

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Located at 701 4th Avenue South, at the corner with Elm Street. There is some free street parking on Elm, and there is a paid lot across the street from the main mural, which faces 4th. The bourbon and cigar mural faces Elm Street, on the corner.

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Jump in, the water’s fine!

ArtsCompanyLoadingDoor

I’ve been meaning to blog about this one for a long time, but the identity of the gentleman in this Michael Cooper (Murals & More) piece stymied me. The identity of the woman was easy to figure out. That’s Anne Brown, owner of The Arts Company, a gallery on Fifth Avenue. I should have known who the gentleman was. He is, after all, “The man behind the Sounds new ballpark.” That’s Ronald Gobbell, architect and president emeritus of Gobbell Hays Partners, an architectural firm that owns the building.

Located at 215 5th Avenue North. The mural actually faces St. Cloud Alley, on the back (west) side of the building. St. Cloud intersects with the 500 block of Church Street. This is downtown, so lots of parking, none of it free. There is a paid lot right in front of the mural. On the other side of the lot is Forget the past and a couple other murals I haven’t blogged about yet. Make it all part of your downtown art crawl, held each first Saturday of the month.

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Forget the past

Rone

I have to say I’ve been a little intimidated to post about the big downtown projects. Not entirely, but this is “official” stuff organized by people who know what they are talking about as opposed to what they can find on Google. Plus – it’s really hard to get good pictures of the downtown murals. So much traffic, so many cars, terrible shadows. But here we go. This 2016 piece is by Tyrone Wright, an Australian artist who goes by RONE. (His art is easier to view on his Instagram page.) It’s a Nashville Walls Project production – I talked about them in Guitars and automobiles (and I need to set up a category for them). I use the title “Forget the Past” because there is a 2015 RONE print by that name that is very similar to the piece above, which I’ve not been able to track down a name for. RONE does a lot of these giant faces of mysterious women. They certainly catch your attention.

Located at 530 Church Street. There’s a parking lot right in front (common for downtown art), but like most of the nearby parking, it is not free. There is free parking for patrons of the downtown branch of Nashville Public Library you see in the background, but you need validation. So do some research and enjoy the art!

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Must have been a cool party

Retrograde

This is an ad for a party. A party you probably missed. Though the video makes it look like it was fun. The party was put on by Concept 56, a Jägermeister sponsored (hence the deer) program which “puts together a team of 5 talented creatives, aged 21 and up, to go through a process of 6 months during which they design and produce the event of a lifetime.” Otherwise known as a party. The party took place October 8 of last year, so how long this art stays up is anyone’s guess. I’ll call it endangered art. There are pictures of the event and the performers on Concept56’s Instagram page, even one of the mural being painted. This piece is unusual in being painted on three roll-up doors. It is possible one or more might be rolled up when you visit.

UPDATE: Seth Prestwood designed this piece.

Located at 822 Third Avenue South, home of ST8MNT, “a boutique Nashville brand agency,” and across from 3rd and Lindsley. After hours and on the weekends when nearby businesses are closed there’s plenty of parking, though maybe not as much when there’s a show at 3rd and Lindsley. Get your brand boutiqued and enjoy the art!

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Legends

Legends

There is plenty of public art that takes some work to find. This is not an example of that. Located prominently at the western end of Lower Broad, this mural of some of the best-known country and Nashville musicians, put in last December, is hard to miss. Given that it’s essentially an advertisement for the Legends Corner bar, that’s kind of the point. It’s no doubt a major backdrop for selfies and portraits. The artist is Tim Davis, a painter, muralist and wall finisher whose business is based in Mt. Juliet. Based on the gallery of murals on his website, most of his work is actually indoors, with this being an obvious exception. Unlike most outdoor murals, this one is a set of panels attached to the wall. And take a look at it on Google Street view – Google’s algorithms have hilariously blurred many of the faces.

UPDATE: I did not originally name everyone in this mural. According to this article from Music City Music the people included are Tim McGraw, Loretta Lynn, Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley, Willie Nelson, Taylor Swift, Johnny Cash, Keith Urban, Merle Haggard, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks.

Located at 428 Broadway. The mural actually faces 5th Avenue North, on the west side of the building. This is downtown, in the heart of the tourist zone. Plenty of parking if you walk a ways, none of it free. You’re better off taking a taxi or rideshare. Make it part of your next bachelorette party, and enjoy the art!

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A rainbow of pride

KindComments

In honor of LGBT Pride Month, Instagram decided to sponsor five rainbow colored selfie-worthy murals across the world, in London, Madrid, Los Angeles, Cleveland, and Nashville. (The Madrid and London murals don’t appear to be up yet.) Nashville’s entry is signed @DCVXIndustries. That’s the business home of artist Adrien Saporiti, responsible for the very selfie-ready “I Believe in Nashville” murals. The Instagram murals are meant to give greater visibility to LGBT Pride Month and are accompanied by a #KindComments campaign, encouraging people to make supportive comments on someone’s Instagram page. The Nashville mural was unveiled June 6, and so far the Los Angeles entry is far outpacing Nashville in Instagram hits. The Nashville Pride Festival will be taking place next weekend on June 24th and 25th on Public Square, just a couple blocks from this mural, so expect the Nashville mural to surge soon.

Located where Metro Alley intersects Third Avenue South, between 218 and 222 Third Avenue, right across from the parking lot where the mural featured in Guitars and automobiles is found. This is downtown, so plenty of parking, almost none of it free. There is a Premier Parking lot across the street. Grab a taxi or ride share to the Pride Festival, then stroll down and get your selfie game on!

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