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Betor Forever

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Several weeks ago, a major installation appeared on the 2600 block of Gallatin, on the Penny Recycling building. It’s one of the larger murals in town (though smaller certainly than the giant ones downtown.) I haven’t been able to get to it before because of cars parked at the Hairworld next door. Over a portrait of a young man in a hat surrounded by flowers and spray paint cans, the mural declares “Betor Forever.” Betor was the nom de plume of Ronald “Ronnie” Bobal, who died last December, a couple of weeks shy of his thirtieth birthday. Bobal was a prolific graffiti artist who worked with the UH and ICR crews. You can see some of his work and tributes to him here, here and here. The mural itself is signed by Sterbo and Tierdo.  Sterbo has also memorialized Bobal in the mural of colored spheres mentioned in Arctic colors. There are some other, smaller pieces at this site. I’ve included them in the gallery below.

UPDATE: This mural has been replaced with one featured in Wooden at 1767.

Located at 2611 Gallatin Pike on the south side of the Pocket Money Recycling building, near the corner of Carolyn Avenue. Your best bet for parking is the Hairworld next door. All the images are on the south side of the building, though the camera is on the back of some construction debris so it may not be very permanent.

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What’s in a face?

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Corporate America is not big on public art. Oh sure, major corporations routinely fund art projects, often to beautify their own facilities or to gain some good publicity, but when it comes to the brand, the brand must be pure. And if the company is building chain stores across the country, be they restaurants or retail, little deviation is allowed. Chain stores and restaurants seem to exude some kind of cloud that kills public art. The worst place to look for public art of any kind are those four-lane thoroughfares that have miles of national chains up and down them. Which is why I’m 99.99% certain this face on the property of the Family Dollar at the corner of Home and Gallatin was not authorized, and will probably be painted over soon enough. This is found on a concrete enclosure protecting the store’s garbage dumpster. Less interesting graffiti is found on the other two sides of the enclosure. A note to business owners tired of cleaning up graffiti – you should put in murals. Taggers are mostly respectful of mural art. You could save yourself the trouble of cleaning up graffiti and make the neighborhood more interesting in one go!

Located at 3407 Gallatin Pike. The face is found on a concrete “box” behind the store, at the corner of Home and Baxter, facing Baxter. Load up on unnecessary plastic objects and enjoy the art!

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Someone was here

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This tag is found on the wall of a nondescript small warehouse on Hermitage Avenue. I don’t know what it says, and I don’t recall seeing a similar one around town, so I’m not sure if it’s by a local artist or a visitor. Grafitti artists will often leave their mark on cities they visit. I do though think it’s elegant in its simplicity, standing alone on this long brick wall. Google Maps shows it in a March 2016 photo, so it’s at least a year old.

Located at 280 Hermitage Avenue. The mural is found on the east side of the warehouse, facing a small open lawn. This is an industrial area, so not much street parking. You will probably have to park at one of the local businesses.

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Gone but not forgotten

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When I grab a shot of some interesting graffiti I happen to see, I don’t expect to learn that it has become in effect a memorial for an artist who has died, much less one who died while doing his work. John Brown, an artist based out of Louisville and Detroit, went by the handle 2BUK and worked with the FST crew. Sadly, he died about a year and a half ago after being hit by a vehicle while working on a project in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on November 23, 2015. He was only 27. The tag above is dated 2014, so it is one of his later works. RIP.

Located under a railroad bridge on Stanley Street, on the block between Nestor and Willow. Stanely St. runs north from Hermitage Avenue, at about the 300 block. The mural is hard to miss. The underpass at the bridge is only wide enough for one car at a time. This is a very industrial area. Street parking is easy, just don’t block the road.

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Angels will rise

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“Angels will rise” is written on the bottom of the Seventh Letter mural found on the old Best Way Tire Service building at the corner of 2nd, Lafayette, and McCann. Some internet sleuthing suggest that the two tags read “Revok” and “Sever.” These are the tags of a couple of active graffiti artists, but perhaps because the mural is as old as it is (it is dated 2001), I’ve not been able to definitively link it to the artists currently using those handles. In any event, it’s hard to say how long this particular survivor will continue to exist. Best Way Tire Service has been closed for some time and the building is in a state of disrepair. Given that development is on the march in Chesnut Hill, and the proximity of this site to the heart of downtown, the days of this mural may be numbered. Let’s call it endangered art.

UPDATE: The Seventh Letter is a well-established graffiti crew based out of Los Angeles.

The address for the building is 206 McCann Street, but that doesn’t quite capture it. This building lies on the southwest corner of the three-way crossing of Second Avenue South, McCann Street, and Lafayette Street, about a block south of I-40. The mural faces Second, on the east side of the building. Street parking on McCann is probably your best bet.

 

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You’ve been Eclipsed!

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Eclipse Cafe and Market on 17th Ave North (and which Google Maps confidently refers to as “Lee’s Market” despite abundant signage to the contrary) is a study in contrasts. Here, on the 17th Ave side of the building, is an exuberant graffiti installation that I can’t begin to decipher, while round back is a colorful Eastside Murals work. The mural faces an alley that Google declares to be Prison Avenue, though given the failure to name the market right, who knows? That alley, by the way, is filled with graffiti art I’ll feature later.

Located at 310 17th Avenue North between State and Patterson. Plenty of street and market parking. Grab a cold one and enjoy the art!

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The Cumberland Greenway Cluster (Part 1, Bearded Iris Brewing)

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It helps to drive around. Keep going down that road, you might find something. The art along the Cumberland River Greenway between Van Buren and Taylor is no surprise to anyone who uses that greenway, but no doubt far less known to everyone else, other than the patrons and employees of the businesses nearby. Although very close to downtown and to the development in Germantown, this is an industrial area with roads that dead end at the river, so not a lot of traffic. Along this stretch of the greenway, all of the buildings have something on them, and it’s fairly easy to divide it up given the different styles. The backside of Bearded Iris Brewery stands out as the most detailed and elaborate installation. And look, it’s signed! These are names associated with the TM crew, with a giant logo at the far north end, and the MFK crew, which is prominently tagged nearby. An interview with Paser reveals, by the way, that I deciphered UH wrong in a previous post – it’s Urban Heroes. I’ll have to go back and do some updating! We also see Rex2 (Bryan Deese) whose shown up a lot on this blog. I also include the Bearded Iris logo, featured prominently on the other (west) side of the building.

Located on the Cumberland River Greenway between Taylor Street and Van Buren Street. Bearded Iris Brewing is at 101 Van Buren. The graffiti mural is on the back (east) side of the brewery. Lots of parking there, and given the quiet nature of the area, street parking is fairly easy. Grab a beer, or go for a walk or a ride, and enjoy the art.

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