Graffiti Archives - Page 12 of 15 - nashville public art

Graffiti

Under the bridge and dreaming

Graffiti tags street art Nasville Sometimes you’ve got to take a hike for art. I was driving north down 11th under Church Street when some color off to my right caught my eye. I could tell there was something interesting a few hundred feet away under the bridge, but it took me a while to find the path. Because these colorful tags require a walk down the tracks to get to, it was probably illegal, and it’s clearly a homeless hangout, but no art left behind means no art left behind! The side above is barely visible from 11th Avenue under Church, while the less colorful flip side below is probably visible from a very fenced-off lot on 10th, just north of where it goes under Church.

Located underneath Church Street between 10th and 11th Avenues, on the railroad tracks. To get close, park in the gravelly area off 11th just south of the Broadway bridge. You’ll find a large section of missing fence where you can get access to the tracks. Then walk north to the Church Street bridge. I do not recommend this, however. This is an active train yard, and though traffic is modest, it may constitute trespassing.

Graffiti tags street art Nashville

October 10, 2016 0

Giraffes, etc.

The old ATN Restaurant Equipment building at 11th and Grundy is looking a bit worse for wear. While I can find no information on its future, I imagine it’s ripe for development. Which is why the various pieces on it are likely endangered. This piece, on the doors of the old loading dock, is not signed, but it sure looks like an Emily Miller piece. It’s paper glued to the door, so it’s fragile anyway. This is on the side that faces 11th, as is the large graffiti tag below. The face and the admonition to breath face Grundy.

Located in the Gulch at the corner of 11th Avenue North and Grundy Street. There’s a gravelly area in front of the building where you can park, as well as street parking.

October 8, 2016 0

Dangerous steps

Graffiti tags street art Nashville

The complex at 1900 Warner, prominently labeled “Mimms Center,” was once the home of Malcolm and Associates, a lighting company, but it is now empty, though apparently it was recently purchased by developers. Which means the graffiti on the back side is not likely to survive much longer. I call this “dangerous steps” because I only made it to the top of the first set of steps. I would have had to cross a metal roof to get to the next set but said roof had lost its shingles and has rotted through in some spots, and I had no intention of putting my weight on it. I’ve also included a couple of less elaborate tags on the building, including one half hidden by a huge metal slab I decided not to try to move.

Located at 627 19th Avenue North/1900 Warner Street, within view of the Norf Wall Gallery. The tags are on the 19th Ave side, on the north side of the building. This is an abandoned industrial site, so be careful. It’s also likely to be a construction site soon.

October 7, 2016 0

Definitely not hidden

If you drive across the Jefferson Street bridge, it’s impossible to miss the old Kerrigan Iron Works smokestack. It’s also impossible to miss the giant “moist” if you are coming from the east side of the river. I’ve mentioned the moist campaign before. This is one of its most audacious examples. Hats off!

Located at the north end of the courtyard of the Riverfront Condominiums building on the 1000 block of First Avenue North. (The iron works, like everything else in Nashville, has been converted to condos.) However, it makes much more sense to park at the base of the bridge and walk. I recommend the lot at Crosspoint Community Church (the ginormous sign for Crosspoint TV is as impossible to miss as the smokestack.) They have a giant lot with lots of parking at the corner of Jefferson and Cowan.

September 21, 2016 1

Unique Automotive, Part 3 (the east wall)

Graffiti tags mural street art Nashville
The back wall of Unique Automotive presents a familiar layout for permitted and/or commissioned graffiti and graffiti-style art — the series of panels. Most of these are signed, but only a couple are easy to track down — because the artists sign with their Instagram accounts! Well, sort of. @bukaloop is the handle of Nashville-based artist John Buko, whose work is featured in the bottom picture in this post. @folekangelo does not seem have an account, but there are mentions, and it seems to be an alternate name for an artist who also goes by Folek. Googling the terms finds other mentions besides the ones in that link. Folekangelo’s work is in the third photo down.

UPDATE: “Folek” is Folek Kelof, who can be found under the IG account @folek_folek_folek

Located at 1414 3rd Avenue South, up the hill from Hart Lane. Makeshift street parking. On the map, look for the pin for Part 1.

Part 1

Part 2

September 17, 2016 2

Unique Automotive, Part 2 (the west and south walls)

The front face of Unique Automotive is much less boisterous than the other walls. Here we basically have a couple of flashy signs for the business (above and the first shot below). This kind of style is in keeping with some other places in town that do auto detailing. The south wall, at the bottom, is quite the contrast, essentially one enormous graffiti tag that I can’t even begin to read! For more about the story of Unique Automotive, check out Part 1 below.

Located at 1414 3rd Avenue South, up the hill from Hart Lane. Makeshift street parking. On the map, look for the pin for Part 1.

Part 1

Part 3

September 14, 2016 2

Unique Automotives, Part 1 (the north wall)

I’ve been sort of avoiding doing a post on Unique Automotive, simply because there’s so much art! Really, it’s a huge building, and it’s virtually covered in art, art that is frequently featured on their Instagram account. There’s an interesting story behind Unique Automotive. Its founder, Brad Miser, is a former convict who started his own business after finding work hard to find despite his determination to turn his life around. Miser has done work with local youth, and the murals got started when Miser decided to turn a negative into a positive when he caught kids spray painting the building.