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We Are Seeds

We Are Seeds Mural street art Nashville

The giant mural that appeared this fall on the back of Center 615  began as an idea to bring together the many non-profit groups in Nashville. Southern Women for Civil Rights planted the seed, as it were, for what became the We Are Seeds Community Mural + Block Party, resulting in the mural above. Center 615 offered its back wall, which is separated by an alley and a fence from the Parkway Terrace Homes, an MDHA affordable housing complex. For the SWCR and the artists who became involved, it was important to engage that community and not simply present them with a fait-accompli. So the artists, including Catlin Mello, Omari Booker, Elisheba Israel Mrozik and Woke3 (Here’s a photo set of them as they got started planning), began by engaging the Parkway Terrace community. Some of them worked with children from Parkway Terrace in portrait-drawing classes. As the mural began to grow, with the theme “They tried to bury us but we are seeds,” many of the kids from the community got directly involved, helping to paint and signing their names. The lower reaches of the mural are covered with names and even a few handprints. Some of them needed a little help. A few of the kids are even featured in the mural (see below). Adults and children from communities and non-profits from around the city also got involved. Painting the mural took about a month When the time for the block party rolled around (September 22, 2018), 500 to 600 people representing communities and non-profits from around Davidson county participated in games, put the finishing touches on the mural and shared free food and drink (provided in part by Center 615) – and maybe also bought some lemonade to support the Malala Fund. The mural itself demonstrates the diverse styles of the main artists. Woke3 did the waves, flowers, and tree on the far left of the mural, Mello did the lettering (with an assist by Troy Duff), the women in the center were done by Mrozik, and the children and flowers on the right were done by Omari Booker. All I can say is wow, and I’m sorry I missed the party.

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Located at 615 Main Street. The mural lies on the north side of the building (the opposite side from Main) along an alley that runs between North 7th and North 6th Streets. During the workweek, there are often cars parked in front of the mural, so it is probably best to visit on the weekend. Street parking is available on both Sixth and Seventh.

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This time in blue

No Selfies mural street art Nashville

There’s also one in pink, which sadly has been recently defaced. They are both tagged #JVNLSCCS which leads to the Juvenile Success Instagram page, which is Adrien Saporiti’s page. Saporiti is also the man behind DCXV and the I Believe in Nashville murals, some of the most Instagrammed and selfied murals in town. Because of its location, this one is a little hard to find and probably won’t attract as many selfies (but will attract some!) and also hopefully will be much less likely to be defaced. It sits on the back of the old Roxy Theater at the corner of Wilburn and Meridian, which is slated to open as a new music venue sometime next year. This small block of vintage buildings has been revived as a commercial district in the last few years, a sign also of the expanding gentrification in this area. There’s a lot packed into “No Selfies.”

Located at 827 Meridian Street. The mural lies on the back of the building, facing the building that houses AMAX Talent. Street parking is available.

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Topgolf

Top Golf mural street art Nashville

The Topgolf complex off Jefferson Street on the banks of the Cumberland is an enormous entertainment complex. It is only appropriate then that it has an enormous work of art, courtesy of Nathan Brown. I have referred to the style above in the past as Brown’s “colorful geometry problem” style, but I now know he calls it his “geometric gradient style.” This one is more organic than others in this style, such as the one featured in Rainbow pizza, looking strongly like some kind of flower or tree. It sits on a 35×20 ft wall that’s part of The Cowan, Topgolf Nashville’s live performance venue. Note that Topgolf is a national chain. I’ve stated many times that national chains don’t do outdoor art, as it clashes with their branding. But more and more, art is part of the cost of doing business in Nashville. Brown apparently had complete freedom to create his own design. On his website, you can watch a video about its creation and see a number of other photos, including some that were taken from a higher vantage point. Notice the two electric scooters on the side? I had to move about five scooters out of the way that were parked in front of the mural before I photographed it.

Located at 500 Cowan Street, near where Jefferson Street intersects with I-24. The mural is on the northeast side of the building, facing the parking lot. Topgolf has an enormous parking lot, but you may have difficulties parking there at peak hours.

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King Solomon Gyros

Solomon Gyros sign mural street art Nashville

If you’ve ever driven down lower Gallatin, you’ve seen the sign. You may even have picked up a meal or twenty there. I usually get the combo plate, but this Scene article makes me think I’ll get the gyro sandwich next time I drop by King Solomon Gyros. Sadly, I do not know who made this sign. The business has exchanged hands in the last several months, and the current owners don’t know who the sign maker was. There’s also some reason to be concerned about the future of this business, as recently this property and the old church next door were bought by James Higgins and Richard Piliponis for $1.02 million. One would hope they don’t mess with a very successful take-out place. The two men, who also own Noble’s Kitchen & Beer Hall right down the street (site of the mural featured in A noble brew), seem to be planning on turning the former New Destiny Christian Fellowship into a pub named Eastwood Assembly. Some of the nearby neighbors have read the word “pub” to mean “bar” and have voiced opposition. The Nashville Post article previously linked also notes that the church building has structural issues that have put plans on hold for now. Again, one would hope Higgins and Piliponis have no plans for King Solomon’s besides collecting a reasonable rent.

UPDATE: The sign was produced by David Wright of Manecoon Sign Company.

Located at 716 Gallatin Ave, at the corner with Chicamgua Avenue, across from Kroger. Solomon has parking, and street parking is available, but really you should admire the mural as you pass through the drive-through!

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Never quiet your roar

MK Fitness mural street art Nashville

A few months ago a small mural appeared on Main Street next to the entrance door to MK Fitness, run by personal trainer Mike Krajewski. It’s by Rachel Deeb, a photographer, artist and graphic designer who has appeared on this blog once before, in the post Put up your dukes!. That too is a mural linked to a physical training place, though in that case for Title Boxing Club. While that mural was very clearly about boxing, this one is more abstract. If you scroll down to “Prints” on this page from Deeb’s site, you’ll see a very similar print to this design. The tag, which I’m using for the title of this article, seems to indeed be the title of the work, as that’s the only thing it’s associated with on Instagram. Included in those links is a video showing Deeb creating the mural.

UPDATE: While this mural survived the March 3, 2020 tornado, the building it was on was severely damaged and has since been demolished.

Located at 715 Main Street. The mural is on the front of the building at the east end, and it faces west, towards downtown. If no parking is available in front, there are for now two closed shops next door (to the east) you can park at.

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Go slay all the dragons

Dragons mural street art Nashville

There’s a relatively new mural on Douglas that’s been getting a lot of attention on social media, even if it’s not really in a place tourists usually go. Maybe that’s because the guy who paid for it, Drew Holcomb of Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, has promised a weekly drawing until Christmas for a prize package for everyone who checks in in front of the mural. That last link also includes a time-lapse video of the artist, Kim Radford, creating the mural. The mural features lyrics from the Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors song “Dragons,” which also features The Lone Below. The mural, as I said, is getting around. Besides showing up on Instagram, there’s also a video of “Dragons” featuring an animated version of the mural. The East Nashvillian recently published an article about Holcomb which featured a photo of him in front of the mural. I had a chance to talk to the artist, Radford, who told me that while she hasn’t done a lot of her own murals in the past, she’s planning to do more, and recently completed an eagle mural on the side of Elite Bonding on Main Street. Be looking for it on the blog sometime soon. And go check-in on Instagram in front of this one before Christmas for a chance at a prize! The check-in is “Dragons Mural.”

Located at 1224 Lischey Avenue, at the corner with Douglas Avenue. The mural is on the north side of the building, facing Douglas. Nearby street parking is available.

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Tailgate Brewery, East Side

Tailgate mural street art Nashville

A couple months ago, I featured a small mural linked to Tailgate Brewery in A hoppy place to tailgate. That small, two-color mural, by Drew Lord, is part of Tailgate’s Demonbreun Street location. Recently, they expanded to lower Gallatin, right next to Nashville Biscuit House. And here Lord, who is Tailgate’s art director, has produced something much bolder and much more colorful. You have the tailgate, you have the brewer breaking open a barrel that sprays out multi-colored beer, and you have an umbrella to protect you from that spray. (The umbrella kind of looks like a made-to-order Instagram target.) When you go to check it out, walk abound to the backside of Nashville Biscuit House. There’s a hidden mural back there.

Tailgate mural street art Nashville

Located at 811 Gallatin Avenue. The mural is on the south side of the building. There is parking behind Tailgate, and at the Biscuit House after it closes in the afternoon. There is also street parking on Petway Avenue on the north side of the building.

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