Search

nashville public art

Nashville murals, street art, graffiti, signs, sculptures and more

Open Search
Tag

#nashville

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.

0

A neighborhood fence

SBFenceMain

Not all great art is from professional artists. Some of it comes from the kids in the neighborhood. This Eastwood home sports a brightly colored fence of work from clearly enthusiastic young artists. It includes a chalkboard labeled “commUNITY.” When I passed by, there was a little box of chalk beneath it so a passerby might add some art of their own. I think my favorite panel is the flag, but they are all great. There are two panels of flowers separate from the main group that you’ll find in the slideshow below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Located at 301 Scott Avenue, at the corner with Benjamin Street. There is plenty of free street parking in this neighborhood. This is a private home, so please be respectful.

 

0

White line

RedkiteBike

Not all art is complex. Sometimes something simple is all that’s required. This visual shorthand for “bicycle,” found at Redkite Bicycle Studio, is direct and to the point. This is a place about bikes. Buy them, repair them, soup them up, get advice and encouragement on your next ride, your lifetime of rides. On that last point, there’s the blog and the podcast. These folks are serious about bikes.

Located at 1605 Gale Lane. That’s off of Belmont Boulevard, going west, just north of I-440. The mural is found on the east side of the building, facing towards Belmont. There’s a small lot at Redkite, and street parking on Gale and across the street on Oakland Avenue.

0

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).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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.

0

Nashville Diverse

CilantroGuitar

Cilantro Mexican Grill has made it to this blog before. In their parking lot is a huge mural celebrating the Predators, which I featured in Smashville, Mexican style. Here we walk around to the other side if the building to find a gigantic guitar. Although it looks somewhat similar to the one featured in Carter Vintage Guitars (Part 1) (and yes, I still need to do part 2), it’s a different artist. The Carter murals are done by Vermillion Murals, while this mural is the product of Marco Vazquez. The signature, which is hard to see in the picture (below the bottom end of the guitar) also gives the name of the mural  — “Nashville Diverse” (hence the title of this blog post). Like a lot of artists who work with Hispanic businesses, there’s a phone number if you want to commision him (I haven’t found any website or social media for him). There are also a couple of traditional images more common to Hispanic restaurants and grocery stores (see below), a plate of fajitas and a molcajete mixto – two things I have never ordered in a Mexican restaurant!

Located at 2330 8th Avenue South. The guitar mural faces Melpark Drive, on the north side of the building. The food murals are found on the south side of the building, near the entrance. There is some free parking on Melpark, and Cilantro has a fair amount of parking. Chow down and enjoy the art!

0

Acoustic skyline

AcousticSky

Sometimes I have to really dig to get the skinny on some piece of outdoor art. Sometimes I come up with nothing. And sometimes the Tennessean does my work for me. This Division Street mural, found on the side of A+ Storage, is the work of Harpeth Middle School teacher Allison Johnson. It went up back in November 2016 (so this is not exactly breaking news). The A+ owner saw her work hanging in 3rd and Lindsley, where Johnson works part-time, and commisioned the work. The hashtag #4theloveof music615 leads ultimately to her Instagram page, while 4TheLoveofMusic is the name of her Etsy page. If you look very closely below the word “gulch,” there is a tiny signature for Drew Johnson, Allison’s brother, who helped her do the mural.

Located at 911 Division Street. The mural is on the west side of the building. It faces a large paid parking lot, which, like many of the paid lots around the Gulch, advertises one-hour free parking. Make it part of your Gulch visit and enjoy the art!

1

Mystery of the Spheres

Colonial Liquor

Eighth Avenue South has art but is not as rich as some other neighborhoods. This is in keeping with its mix of national chains, which tend to discourage public art, and independent businesses, which tend to encourage it. A very obvious example of the later, if you are traveling south on 8th, is this impossible to miss piece on the side of Colonial Liquors. This trippy image complete with crystals and a starry firmament is a product of the ever-prolific Eastside Murals. The backside of the building has a major graffiti installation I’ll feature later.

UPDATE: This mural has since been covered over by a new mural featured in George Jones rides a lawnmower

Located at 2401 Franklin Pike (aka 8th Avenue South). The mural is on the north side of the building, facing Hillview Heights. A fair amount of parking is available at Colonial Liquor, and a great deal is to be found across the street at Little Caesars. You have to go about half a block west on Hillview Height to find street parking. Grab some wine, get some pizza, and enjoy the art!

0

Powered by WordPress.com.

Up ↑