Muddy Waters, Clarksdale, MS (1913-1983)Midnight at the Crossroads by Devin Gerard Liston @devin.liston
Clarksdale, Mississippi, undoubtedly the epicenter of the Mississippi Delta Blues, is also a treasure trove of Street Art reflecting the musical heritage of the Delta. While we were visiting primarily to hear live blues music and experience the local juke joints, we could not pass up the opportunity to photograph the many portrait murals of blues legends.
The musicians that were born in this area are among the greatest blues practioners and pioneers of all time.Many of them emigrated north to Detroit and Chicago for factory work but ultimately found fame there and were able to turn their passion for music into their full time pursuit.
Just a few examples of the musicians who were born in this area or contributed to the development of the Blues here include: Sam Cooke, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Ike Turner, Robert Johnson, Kingfish Ingram and Sarah Moore. Click on the link to see a roster (and biographies) of the many famous blues musicians that were so much a part of the blues scene here. https://www.cityofclarksdale.org/music-culture-history/
John Lee Hooker, Tutwiler, MS (1917-2001)Leo “Bud” Welch, Sabougla, MS (1932-2017) by El Care Barbie @elcarebarbieSam Cooke,Clarksdale, MS (1931-1964)Chase Reid@chase_reidChase Reid@chase_reidDelta Roots by Hayden G. Hall @haydenghallartPortrait of Dr. Vera Mae Pigee by Charles Coleman @ccolem20Clint Eastwood as the Outlaw Josey Wales by Christopher KeywoodPlow Mule Blues by Church Goin Mule Marshall Blevins @churchgoinmuleDon’t Stop Me From Flying by Likmi Soberana @lik_miRebeka Skela @sanguineskills
Woman of Rock by @erre.erre
Homage to Howlin’ Wolf Wilson by Gerson Fonseca @monstrucion.3Midnight at the Crossroads by Devin Gerard Liston@devin.liston
We hope you enjoyed these photographs of street murals from Clarksdale. We could have spent another day photographing more murals, but the road was calling and we always heed the call of the road.
Hello everyone. This is our first post of OTR 8.0. Our plan for this trip is to travel throughout the Southeast. We spent several several days in Knoxville and Chattanoogaduring our first two weeksof the journey; neither of us had visited either city previously.
Both cities have a strong commitment to street art and we are excited to share our favorite murals from our tours.
Whenever we have been able to identify the muralist(s), we have included their information in the caption.
Knoxville, Tennessee
Many of the murals from Knox featured in this post are located in Strong Alley, downtown. The alley is known locally as graffitti alley.
We only spent a couple of days in Chattanooga but we were able to capture a number of murals that, fortunately for us, are clustered in the Southside neighborhoodand on Mccallie Street as part of the Mccallie Walls Mural Project.
Ali Kay @ali_kay_studioAnna Carll @annacarllart
Kevin Bate @goodwithfaces
Nyx, Goddess of Night — Miki Boni
The Four Horsewomen (above and below) —- Kevin Bate, Hollie Berry, Miki Boni, Anna Carll and Ali Kay
We plan on publishing another edition of Street Art from the Road later in the trip. We hope you enjoyed the photographs of the murals.You can see additional murals @ctsprinterlife.
Regular followers of OTR know that, in addition to fine art and excellent coffee and tea, we are avid fans of street art (@streetartfromtheroad). This edition of OTR 7.0 presents a sampling of our favorite street murals from this trip. Some of the murals below we found purely by chance while others we sought out based on our research of public art in a particular area, town or neighborhood.
We should qualify that our focus is on street murals as opposed to graffiti or tagging. Marking public or private property is really a subversive activity and while we have our subversive moments, we do not support the defacing of public or private property. Okay, enough on that topic.
Street art is often very political and cultural in nature and at it’s best is powerful and moving. We also find that it is often highly creative, humorous and very often beautiful.
Please find below our favorites from OTR 7.0, we hope you enjoy the photographs. P.S. We have provided attribution wherever possible.
Utah: Moab
Muralist:@skyewalker_art
New Mexico: Taos
“El santero” muralist: george chacon
New Mexico: Plaza de Chimayo
New Mexico: Espanola
“El sembrador”Muralist:Rubel rael
New Mexico: Santa Fe
Texas: Quitaque (kitty-k)
Texas: Amarillo
Muralist:@malcolm_byersblue sky texas burgers
Texas: Amarillo: Hoodo Mural Festival
Muralist:@daas
Muralist:@weshouldbestrangers
“Xochi” muralist: msyellowart
Muralist:@malcolm_byers
Muralist:@dtoxart
OK: OKC
Muralist:Eric tippeconnic (commanche nation of oklahoma)Muralist@juuriart83
OK: Tulsa
Muralist: Aaron Whisner“In Memory of Madison Mcmanus” Muralist: @jeks_nc
Historical footnote: the Greenwood District of Tulsa was the site of the Tulsa race massacre also known as the Tulsa race riot. In the early 1900’s this area of Tulsa was known as Black Wall Street due to the concentration of wealth in this largely black community.
On May 31, 1921 multiple mobs of armed white residents of Tulsa (deputized by city officials) attacked the residents of the area killing and injuring scores of people and destroying a 40 block area of the district. Thirty-six blacks were killed and over 800 were hospitalized.
Some accounts indicate that the massacre was triggered by the arrest of a black man for assaulting a white woman. Most historians agree that this event was more the result of a growing resentment in the white community of the financial success of ”Black Wall Street”.
When we visited Amarillo the second Hoodoo Mural Festival had just wrapped up. Five large scale wall murals were commissioned for this year’s festival. We spent a relaxing Sunday afternoon viewing the murals. The murals are all within a very walkable area along Polk Street in downtown Amarillo.
@blankspacesmurals
All of the murals are impressive – not just for the scale – but for the quality, creativity and artistry. Please see the festival website for more information about the festival and the muralists. We have broken the murals down into sections due the large size.
We at OTR had never visited Milwaukee until this trip but a bit of advance reseach convinced us that it would be a good city to spend several days exploring. So after spending a week or so biking and camping in southwestern Wisconsin, we made our way east to the state’s largest city (pop. 595,000).
As some of you may recall, our city visit criteria are well established and straight-forward: third wave coffee and tea cafes, high quality street art, an art museum (or two), an excellent Italian restaurant (and professional baseball is always a plus).
milwaukee Art museum
Crying Girl, 1964, Roy Lichtenstein
The Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) and it’s predecessor organizations have been in existence since 1888. The Quadracci Pavilion pictured below was constructed in 2001. The impressive Pavilion with its moveable sail sits on the waterfront of Lake Michigan as the signature work of architecture in the city. http://collection.mam.org/
The MAM has several galleries devoted to modern, pop and abstract art which seems fitting with the architectural style of the Pavilion. The museum collections includes a number of works by major Pop and Abstract icons including Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol.
Mist, 2012, David Schnell
fika
Colectivo Coffee served as our cafe host for our stay in MKE. Colectivo is MKE based with cafes on the waterfront and in the Historic Third Ward. Colectivo is also a force in the roasting business and operates the Troubador Bakery as well.
Colectivo has been in a business for quite a while but clearly has not lost its edge and sits firmly in the realm of third wave coffedom. Our experience was excellent because of the professional baristas, friendly staff, great coffee, tasty sandwiches and treats along with an interesting and comfortable cafe space.
There are other solid third wave coffee cafes in MKE which are worth visiting but for a short stay in town you cannot miss with any of Colectivo’s locations.
Street art
MKE provided us with several excellent street murals nicely placed in the Historic Third Ward while the epic mural by @AEROSOLKINGDOM pictured above and below required a short drive down to an industrial area along the waterfront.
As you can see from the photographs there is an eclectic mix of fun and serious art to be found in MKE.
Historic third ward and Riverwalk
The Historic Third Ward District is a former warehouse area which has been revitalized into a thriving entertainment district. There are over 450 businesses in the district. The center piece of the district is the Milwaukee Public Market which houses restaurants, bars, wine shops, live entertainment and retail shops in an large open space.
The district is bounded by the Milwaukee River and the riverwalk which allows pedestrians to stroll along the river and of course provides direct access to the district. Nicely done MKE!
Our recommendations for the district – Onesto for excellent Italian fare, Thief Wine Bar for delicious and very reasonably priced wine, St. Paul Fish Company for fresh fish from the Lake and of course Colectivo Coffee.
Sports
Our timing was fortuitous in visiting MKE while the Brewers were at home. The Brewers did not play when we saw them, but have played better since we were in town (won nine of last ten games). Nonetheless, it is always fun to take in a MLB game, particularly in a stadium not previously visited.
The stadium – American Family Field – opened in 2001 and, like the MAM, is architecturally impressive. The stadium has the only fan-shaped convertible roof in the United States – which worked out well for us as rain moved into the MKE area on the afternoon of the day we were attending.
As you can see in the photos below the crowd was sparse as the city was still limiting attendance to 25% of capacity. The bewildering part of the rule was that while attendance was limited there was no social distancing with seating.
Our thoughts
We had a great time visiting MKE. The city is a good stop for three to four days, depending on your interests. There are plenty of options with professional sports teams, museums, fine and casual dining and live entertainment.
MKE is also very pedestrian- and bike-friendly with numerous paved paths in downtown and along the waterfront. Also, and very importantly from our perspective, is that the local folks we met were uniformly very friendly and open.
MKE – modern and friendly – worth a visit!
Our next planned post will be based on our travels through Minnesota.
We discovered the Franklinton Arts District (FAD) during our brief visit to Columbus last fall when we visited One Line Coffee. In addition to a terrific coffee experience at the cafe we found ourselves surrounded by amazing mural art everywhere we looked (or so it seemed). As a result we knew that we wanted to pay another visit to Columbus as we journeyed west on OTR 6.0 to take advantage of the excellent coffee and street art opportunities.
The FAD is not just a geographic district but also a non-profit organization http://www.franklintonartsdistrict.com/ created to support and advocate for artists and art organizations in the district.
The photographs above and below are just a small sample of some of the murals we saw during this visit. We have also included several more mural photos at the end of this post.
Franklinton Arts District
Our first rails to trails ride in Ohio was on the Heart of Ohio Trail (HOOT) and the Kokosing Gap Trail. We rode from the Centerburg Trailhead to the end of the HOOT in Mt Vernon and then continued on the Kokosing Gap Trail several more miles to Gambier where the trail runs through the Kenyon College Campus.
Kokosing Gap Trail, Gambier, Ohio
Our departure from Centerburg was delayed slightly by the arrival of two gentlemen who approached us to inquire about the Beast (not an uncommon occurrence). We are always happy to share our travels and provide a tour of the Beast and even more so because we found ourselves talking to two of the top specialty coffee people in the Columbus area.
Kenny (@kennysipes) and Frank (@franksbusy) are the creative and business leaders that have made Roosevelt Coffee Roasters and Roosevelt Coffee House a very special force for good (as well a very successful business) in the specialty coffee industry. https://roosevelt.coffee/https://the-roosevelt-coffeehouse.square.site/
Roosevelt Coffee House
Kenny had served as a youth pastor for a number of years before deciding to jump into the specialty coffee business while Frank had been in the industry working for one of the top specialty coffee organizations in Columbus.
Our Fortuitous Meeting with Kenny and Frank
After chatting about the Beast and some of our adventures Kenny and Frank graciously invited us to visit the roastery and the cafe the next morning. We said YES!!
Frank explains the operation of the Loring Roaster as he expertly roasts a batch of coffee.
We had a fantastic experience visiting the with Kenny and Frank and found out that they are more than just two really nice guys. Kenny started this business in order to help people in need and Frank signed on for the mission. The Roosevelt businesses are owned by the Roosevelt Foundation https://www.rooseveltcoffee.org/ and donate a portion of the money generated by the two businesses to organizations fighting against hunger, unclean water and human trafficking.
The Mission
We are humbled to have had the opportunity to meet Kenny and Frank and learn first hand about the business and their mission. Thank you Kenny and Frank.
Alum Creek Trail
We took advantage of the fine weather on our last day in Columbus to bike the Alum Creek Trail. Although this trail runs through the city of Columbus it provides many miles of greenway as it meanders back and forth across the Alum Creek. This trail is a wonderful asset within a major metropolitan area as you feel transported to a much more rural environment. We encountered many deer along the route – some who seem perturbed by our desire to proceed on the trail!
Historically, Alum Creek was a key route in central Ohio for escaped slaves and free blacks to move north to free states and Canada. The sycamore trees which line the banks of the creek and the creek itself provided cover for the railroad’s “passengers” seeking freedom.
A key group in the operation of the Underground Railroad in central Ohio were the Quakers that created the safe haven known as Quakertown. The number of escaped slaves that came through on this route is not documented for obvious reasons but it is a credit to the abolitionists that risked their own safety to assist with this humanitarian initiative to right the horrible wrong of slavery.
Franklinton Arts District
Elijah Pierce by Hakim CallwoodPinball by Chris TennantUntitled by Kaylynn Etienne
Next stop Wisconsin to bicycle the Badger State Bike Trail and possibly eat cheese! Be seeing you!
We made two passes through Richmond as we criss-crossed Virginia. So while we were there just a couple of days, the sheer number of works clustered in various neighborhoods allowed us to take in an amazing sample of great murals (although we have hardly scratched the surface).
Artist: ARYZ, Spain
One of the driving forces behind all of the fantastic street art in town is the Richmond Mural Project. The RMP is an annual event which brings internationally recognized artists to Richmond with the goal of having 100 murals created over five years. Richmond is comprised of 11 primary neighborhoods and murals are planned for all of them.
Artist: Pixel Pancho, Italy
Additionally, the non-profit organization, RVA Street Art Festival, sponsored its fifth three day festival in 2020. The RVA focuses on painting in a different area of the city at each event. The festival provides opportunities for local artists and students to work together to create art and add color to the city. The Festival donates proceeds to local charities including the Richmond Public School system arts program.
Between these two organizations and a number of privately commissioned murals it seems as if around every corner in every neighborhood there is another terrific mural to behold.
Artist, Ed Trask, Virginia
Right: Artists: ASVP, New York City and Switzerland
Artist: Onur Dinc, Switzerland
Bottom Left: Artists: INKTEN + CLOGTWO, Singapore
Richmond also has a robust specialty coffee and tea culture, and we are confident that when pandemic conditions improve we will return to Richmond to explore many more of the neighborhoods in search of great street art and cafes.
After departing Fort Wayne we decided to make a couple day stop in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus has three of the things we look for in a city: excellent third wave coffee cafes, a vibrant street art scene and distinctive neighborhoods.
While our stay was brief, we did quite a bit of walking through the various neighborhoods searching for murals. Of course, we fueled up at the coffee cafes that are conviently located in the various villages or districts.
Columbus has taken full advantage of the river waterfront (Scioto River) by creating many public greenspaces providing access to the riverfront for recreation and entertainment.
We will definitely weave Columbus into a future journey to get deeper into the museum and restaurant options (post pandemic) in addition to the coffee, street art and neighborhood history.
We hope you enjoy the selection of street art we have included in this post.
Onward to West Virginia…be seeing you.
Artist Unknown, Columbus – Discovery DistrictUntitled by Gabriela Torres @ms.torressss, Franklinton Arts DistrictTeenuh Stays The Same by Bill Miller, Short North DistrictEternal by Natalia Sanchez @nauti.luz, Franklinton Arts DistrictDeeper Connection by Edmund Boateng, Short North DistrictArtist Unknown, Short North District
One Line Coffee and Fox in the Snow Coffee
German VillageKNOW JUSTICE, KNOW PEACE Artist(s) Unknown, Franklinton Arts DistrictPanel from Mural of Hope by Maureen E. Clark @maureeneclark, Franklinton Arts DistrictStolen Joy, Franklinton Arts District
Arist Unknown, Franklinton Arts DistrictListen to the Hummingbird, Artist Unknown, Short North DistrictHere We Are by Alejandra Zanetta, Short North District
Our current trip got off to a rough start when we found ourselves in southern Pennsylvania with multiple issues with the Beast. The first issue required us to backtrack north to Wilkes-Barre to have repairs performed on the diesel exhaust fluid sensors. We were fortunate that the dealer was able to accomodate us quickly and resolved the issue.
The second issue involved our penthouse roof which malfunctioned leaving the pop top partially and unevenly deployed. Unfortunately this particular issue required us to head approximately 600 miles west to Huntington, Indiana for repairs (Sportsmobile).
The good news, besides having the Beast back in full working order, was that we found ourselves with the opportunity to spend some time in Fort Wayne as we started our journey back towards our original first stop in West Virginia.
Fort Wayne is making a major investment in beautifying the city with street murals by both local and international artists.
While you are in downtown taking in the art scene, please visit the excellent @Fortezzacoffee.
Fortezza Coffee
We hope you find these murals as interesting and beautiful as we do:
Untitled by Jaliyah Rice @artby_jaliyahWhere am EYE? by @sarah_e_costumesNYANE by @jeffpilkinton
Untitled by 1010@1010ZZZWoven by Lyndy Bazile @afroplumpThrough a Child’s Eyes by Jeff Pilkinton @jeffpilkintonPeople Walking by Theoplis Smith, Terry Ratliff, and Alexandra HallBison by Tim Parsely
ON THE ROAD with Maria + Stephen 