Tag: mural

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Memphis Black Lives Mural Defaced

A Black Lives Matter mural painted on the ground at Health Sciences Park has been painted over.

The large yellow mural, created June 24th near the spot where a Nathan Bedford Forrest statue once stood, mirrored those painted on streets across the country in recent weeks.

Memphis Police Department (MPD) did not immediately respond to the Flyer‘s inquiry about whether or not the mural’s defacing will be investigated, as well as if it is considered a hate crime.

Two California residents are now facing hate crime charges for their role in painting over a Black Lives Matter mural in Contra Costa County.

Van Turner, executive director of the nonprofit Greenspace that owns the park, said he committed to restoring the mural. 

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Midtown Projects: New Overton Park Sidewalks; New Evergreen Mural

CREDIT: Amanda Gillvery

Amanda Gillvery

A rendering shows the west end of the sidewalk.

If you’re driving around Midtown, be on the lookout for these two projects to get underway soon.

Overton Park Sidewalk

Construction was set to being Monday on a new sidewalk for Overton Park. It’ll run on the north side of Poplar from Kenilworth to Veterans Plaza, according to the Bike/Ped Memphis blog.

Google Maps

The black line shows where the new sidewalk will go.

The overall project will also include ”a curb extension at the northeast corner of Kenilworth and Poplar, reconstruction of the median island on the north side of the same intersection, and crosswalk enhancements.”

“The goal of the project is to improve safe pedestrian access to Overton Park and the existing bus stops on this segment of Poplar, which are currently inaccessible by people using wheelchairs or other mobility devices,” reads the post by Nicholas Oyler, Bikeway & Pedestrian program manager for the city of Memphis.
Amanda Gillvery

The lack of an accessible path poses a hazard to people with limited mobility or child strollers, according to Oyler.

A later phase of the project will extend the new sidewalk east of Veterans Plaza to a future entrance plaza at Cooper, according to Oyler. The extension and plaza are currently under design, and should begin construction in the next two years.

As the sidewalk is built, the westbound, outside lane of Poplar will be closed from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. on weekdays. Construction is expected to last about 45 days.

Amanda Gillvery

A rendering shows the east end of the new sidewalk.


Evergreen Mural
Memphis College of Arts

A rendering shows what the mural might look like on the building.

A new mural may soon grace the west-facing wall of Evergreen Presbyterian Church, one that its designers say highlights “the pedestrian-friendly culture of the Evergreen Historic District.”

That mural is now up for approval by the Memphis Landmarks Commission. A final vote on the mural is set for the commission’s meeting on Thursday, May 23rd.

The mural was conceived by the Memphis College of Arts (MCA) office of Community Outreach and Student Affairs. Student artists Chongjin Won and Anna Bearman. Their design was informed by comments from Evergreen neighbors gathered at three listening sessions in January and February.

Here’s what the artists said about the design in their application to the Landmarks Commission:

“Our goal for the mural is to highlight the pedestrian friendly culture of the Evergreen Historic District. Evergreen is defined by its cohesive architecture, rich history, and sense of community. We find these features to be the defining characteristics of the neighborhood.”

“On any given evening, too will find the residents running, biking, walking or strolling through the neighborhood. As the evening winds down, you will find neighbors on their front porches chatting with one another with the gentle sound of the rustling leaves and cars passing in the distance.
Memphis College of Arts

An artist’s rendering of the mural.

”The design incorporated all of these elements into a mural that truly represents Evergreen Historic District. Set at the golden hour of dusk, our mural depicts the neighborhood teeming with activity: children playing, dogs being walked, parents strolling with their infants, and neighbors biking.”

Read the full application here: [pdf-1]

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Group Calls Reasons for Removing Civil Rights Mural “Shallow,” Mural to Remain

A local group calls the city’s reasons for planning to scrub a civil rights mural “shallow” and “mystifying.”

The Downtown mural, painted on a garage at the corner of Main and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, depicts a civil rights timeline with historical figures like Ida B. Wells.

After the city received complaints over the historical accuracy of the mural, as well as its inclusion of the phrase “Black lives matter,” city officials made tentative plans to scrub the mural.

But, groups like the Midtown Action Coalition expressed concern over the justification for removing the mural.

In a letter to Paul Young, director of the city’s Housing and Community Development division, Gordon Alexander, organizer of the coalition, said the reasons given are “downright mystifying.”

The full letter reads, in part:

“This mural is quite popular and the reasons given for its possible removal seem shallow, and downright mystifying. You state that some persons have expressed concern about the ‘facial expressions’? What does that mean exactly? In response to the concerns for its ‘historical accuracy,’ let’s not forget this is a mural on a garage, not a statue in a civic plaza or a bronze reproduction of a famous event in Memphis history. We believe the pressure is coming from those citizens who took offense at the ‘Black Lives Matter’ inscription. What is their viewpoint? That black lives don’t matter?

[pullquote-1]

“We may have misinterpreted your comments and if so, you have the opportunity to set the record straight. This has all the signs of a miscarriage of justice based on a few, dare I say it, white people who live outside the Parkways.”

After more concerns like this emerged, Ursula Madden, the city’s chief communications officer said Monday that the mayor decided against scrubbing the artwork: “After this issue was brought to Mayor Strickland’s attention, he quickly decided that we are not removing the mural.“

Commissioned to a part of the Memphis Heritage Trail, the mural was created by Michael Roy and Derrick Dent in 2016.

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News The Fly-By

Painting the Town

On the north wall of 300 South Main, in a downtown neighborhood known as the arts district, the future of a mural is in jeopardy.

For more than 20 years, the wall has been home to “Taking Care of Business,” a mural created by a group of students under the supervision of celebrated local artist George Hunt. It was one in a series of murals created around the city during 1983, and one of only two murals remaining.

However, a local businessman’s plans to renovate the building have cast doubt on how long the mural will exist.

Divine Mafa, who recently leased the building from the Church of God In Christ, arranged to have the building — and the mural — repainted a dark teal. Mafa has several businesses downtown and plans to open a clothing boutique on the property in early November.

“I didn’t even know it was a painting,” Mafa says. “I thought it was graffiti. … The brick is bad, and the people [who originally created the mural] never primed it and never repaired the brick.”

Mafa’s plans for the mural were thwarted, for the time being, by a concerned South Main resident.

Hank Cole, one of the founders of the South Main Association, has passed the mural every day since it was created. When he discovered it was in jeopardy, he immediately contacted the Memphis Landmarks Commission and even went so far as to park his truck on the sidewalk to prevent painting crews from destroying the artwork. An injunction from the Landmarks Commission temporarily halted the project.

‘Taking Care of Business’ in its infancy

“The whole thing came up so suddenly,” Cole says. “I just noticed it and tried to do something about it.”

According Cole, Mafa had not obtained the necessary permit to change the wall. “We’re a preservation district,” Cole says. “All projects that change the face on a building must be approved by the Landmarks Commission.”

Mafa says he obtained the necessary permit October 19th.

But Cole, Mafa, and COGIC-attorney Jay Bailey decided recently that the mural will stay intact until a mutually beneficial agreement can be reached.

Mafa asserts that he has the right to paint the building whenever he chooses but is giving the arts community until December 1st to come up with a plan.

“I could paint now,” he says, “but I’m not going to. … I am a businessman first. I want my business to look attractive.”

David Simmons of LongRiver Art/Source, George Hunt’s gallery, says the artist has qualms about the condition of the mural.

“We’ve talked about these murals in the past, and he felt that they had been neglected,” Simmons says. “When people talked about saving them or restoring them, his opinion was to let them live their life or paint over them.”

Bennie Nelson West, who originally helped organize the mural project in 1983, agrees. West, now director of the Memphis Black Arts Alliance, says the best option is to find funds to paint a new mural over the old one.

“And maybe do a few more around the city,” she adds hopefully.