Friday, February 29, 2008

March Theme Day...Murals, Graffiti, and Street Art

This mural in downtown Memphis is actually an historic work of art, and you can find it on the side of Divine Rags, an upscale Italian clothing shop at 300 S. Main St. This work has been the center of some controversy during the past few years. You can enlarge the photo by clicking on it.

"Taking Care of Business" was created under the direction of Memphis artist George Hunt in 1983, and is one of a series of murals created at that time (you can read more about the artist, George Hunt, here). It "depicts the emergence of blacks from slavery to freedom through education and entrepreneurial success." There are only two murals (of this series) remaining, and the current owner of this building originally wanted to paint over this mural due to its condition. This created a bit of an outcry due to its historical significance, and the civic-minded owner later changed his mind. You can read more about this mural and these events here.

I am so glad that this mural still exists for citizens and visitors to appreciate and enjoy.

There are 144 blogs participating in this theme day. Please drop by and visit each of them and enjoy their wonderful theme day offerings!

Adelaide, Australia by Gordon, Albuquerque (NM), USA by Helen, Aliso Viejo (CA), USA by Rodney, American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Anderson (SC), USA by Lessie, Arradon, France by Alice, Ashton under Lyne, UK by Pennine, Athens, Greece by Debbie, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Bandung, Indonesia by Guntur Purwanto, Baziège, France by PaB, Belgrade, Serbia by BgdPic, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Bicheno, Australia by Greg, Boston (MA), USA by Fenix, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Boston (MA), USA by Sarah, Whit, & Leyre, Brighton, UK by Harvey, Bucaramanga, Colombia by Fernando, Budapest, Hungary by Zannnie and Zsolt, Budapest, Hungary by Isadora, Buenos Aires, Argentina by Karine, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Cape Town, South Africa by Kerry-Anne, Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff, Chateaubriant, France by Bergson, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chicago (IL), USA by U R us, Chicago (IL), USA by b.c., Christchurch, New Zealand by Michelle, Clearwater (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Clearwater Beach (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish, Cologne, Germany by April11, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Detroit (MI), USA by Taittems, Dunedin (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow, Evry, France by Olivier, Forks (WA), USA by Corinne, Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Grenoble, France by Bleeding Orange, Guelph, Canada by Pat, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hyde, UK by Gerald, Inverness (IL), USA by Neva, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Joplin (MO), USA by Victoria, Juneau (AK), USA by Gwyn, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Le Guilvinec, France by ds2944, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lisbon, Portugal by Jsaltao, Lodz, Poland by ritalounge, London, UK by Ham, London, UK by Mo, Mainz, Germany by JB, Maple Ridge, Canada by Susan, Mazatlan, Mexico by Kate, Melbourne, Australia by Mblamo, Melbourne, Australia by John, Memphis (TN), USA by SouthernHeart, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico, Mexico by Poly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Montréal, Canada by Douber, Moscow, Russia by Irina, Mumbai, India by Kunalbhatia, Mumbai, India by MumbaiIteanu, Naples (FL), USA by Isabella, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Orleans (LA), USA by steve buser, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK by Cassie & Chris, Niamey, Niger by Dinabee, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Nottingham, UK by Gail's Man, Ocean Township (NJ), USA by Josy, Paris, France by Eric, Pasadena (CA), USA by Petrea, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia by Murphy_jay, Pilisvörösvár, Hungary by Elise, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa by Sam, Port Vila, Vanuatu by Mblamo, Prague, Czech Republic by Honza03, Quincy (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Radonvilliers, France by Deslilas, Riga, Latvia by Prokur, Rome, Italy by Giovanni, Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saint Louis (MO), USA by Strangetastes, Saint Paul (MN), USA by Kate, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation by Lark, San Antonio (TX), USA by Kramer, San Diego (CA), USA by Felicia, San Diego (CA), USA by Zentmrs, Santa Fe (NM), USA by Randem, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Seguin (TX), USA by Thien, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Setúbal, Portugal by Maria Elisa, Sharon (CT), USA by Jenny, Silver Spring (MD), USA by John, Singapore, Singapore by Keropok, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, St Francis, South Africa by Sam, Stavanger, Norway by Tanty, Stayton (OR), USA by Celine, Stockholm, Sweden by Stromsjo, Subang Jaya, Malaysia by JC, Sydney, Australia by Sally, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Terre Haute (IN), USA by Zann, Terrell (TX), USA by Bstexas, Terrell (TX), USA by Jim K, The Hague, Netherlands by Lezard, Tokyo, Japan by Tadamine, Torun, Poland by Torun Observer, Toulouse, France by Julia, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina by Jazzy, Twin Cities (MN), USA by Slinger, Vienna, Austria by G_mirage2, Wailea (HI), USA by Kuanyin, Wassenaar, Netherlands by Rich, Wellington, New Zealand by Jeremyb, West Paris (ME), USA by crittoria, West Sacramento (CA), USA by Barbara, Weston (FL), USA by WestonDailyPhoto, Wrocław, Poland by Loompi, Yardley (PA), USA by Mrlynn,

37 comments:

Fénix - Bostonscapes said...

That looks like a great mural. I wish I could see it better (even when enlarged, it still displays rather small on my hi-res screen), but I can tell that's a very elaborate one. Good for the city and also for his business to have kept it.

Have a fun theme day! :)

Sally said...

Yeah, it's sad when such iconic murals disappear, but I guess being emphemral is part of the nature of them.

How long will Green Boy survive?

brian stout said...

it's a nice piece of artwork, and i'm glad they decided to keep it...

Fénix - Bostonscapes said...

SH, your son is right. Your screen resolution is set to 800 x 600 pixels, that's too low for a widescreen monitor (mine is set to 1680 x 1050 which is the highest). Your son will know how to change this setting (it's very easy, really). When you change the resolution, photos will appear much smaller than now and you'll also have to increase the text size. It will probably seem odd at first, but you'll get used to it quickly. A screen resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels would probably be a good choice for you.

Jilly said...

Really nice to see a mural like this and appreciated by the city fathers too.

Gordon said...

I think the mural is worth keeping; even in its present condition. Maybe some restoration work could be in order.

MJ said...

Anything historical and meaningful like this should be preserved for the next generation.

Thanks for sharing the background of the mural.

Neva said...

I am glad it is still there as it is very nice.

Gerald (SK14) said...

It is certainly worth preserving

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

Sweet! That's very nice, cool!

Dan said...

Thanks for your kind comment on my blog the other day! It was encouraging at just the right time. Don't you love street art? As long as it is not gang related I think tastefully done street art really adds to the ambiance of a community

Josy said...

I wonder how they can preserve this painting from further deterioration? I mean, it's out in the elements, and it's already been painted in non-weatherproof paint... and if there were something you could do to totally prevent paint from peeling off, then people wouldn't need to paint their houses every few years, right?

A lovely historical mural nonetheless! It must be neat to have such a mural right on the street.

George Townboy said...

Great mural, now preserved for eternity on your blog! Nice work. I've noticed a couple of murals, where I am, starting to fade. I guess they can be restored just like any other kind of artwork(?).

 gmirage said...

Good thing owner retained it for you to show us! Its nice that this vast mural reminds the people of history! Great post!

Chuck Pefley said...

Love it. There is a mural similar to this one in New Orleans, too.

Anonymous said...

A beautiful piece of art, thanks for sharing!

Cheers!

maria elisa said...

Old work. Where the message was the most important. Indeed, a mural fantastic.

Steve Buser said...

Glad they have saved the mural, but it looks like the weather is going to win out in not too many more years

Ben Nakagawa said...

Old mural is very hard to maintain especially this size. I hope owner and community keep this in care.

isa said...

I hope the owner can go a step further and restore it!
I really like it.

Unknown said...

A good piece of street art, as it conveys a message and story.

Joy said...

That's a good mural. It's very meaningful.

Thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and for leaving your comments. Do visit again!

Happy Theme Day!


joy
A Pinay In England
Your Love Coach
The Goddess In You

Fénix - Bostonscapes said...

Fenix, I changed my resolution to what you suggested (1280 x 800) and my font to largest. Now my blog is in the center 1/3 of the screen, and the photos actually look smaller.

Atta girl! :)

Yes, that's how it is supposed to look because you have a narrow Blogger template. My template is wide. To take full advantage of that nice monitor of yours, you might want to enlarge your template, but that'd require some html knowledge. Maybe your son would be able to help?

Is there anything else that I should be doing?

Yes, from now on, and regardless of whether you change the width of your template, you should size your photos to 1200 pixels wide. That way they'll will enlarge properly. Your mural photo is 640 pixels wide, that's why it shows kind of small on hi-res screens.

If/when you change the width of your template, you can also make your photos look large on the blog, like mine.

Does it change anything from your end, in seeing my photos?

No, the changes you made only affect your computer.

Thanks again so much for your input!

My pleasure. I'm glad to have been of help. :)

Annie said...

I'm getting really excited, Southern Heart, about seeing the Kellogg's Plant and now this mural in your blog, neither of which I've seen in person yet. But I will, I will.

Anonymous said...

Wow - what a good choice of mural for the theme day.

Kim said...

This is nice to see, even in it's current state. There probably is no way to restore this mural other than the artist repainting it on a sealed wall with durable paint and some top coat that will seal it from sun and water damage. That fading, pealing quality is something folks love about old advertisements on brick buildings. But, an art mural, it's really disappointing when it's beyond repair.
-Kim
Seattle Daily Photo

Unknown said...

it's great that you photographed it. if ever the mural's gone, there's one digital copy here to share!

Happy Theme Day!

Daniel Chérouvrier said...

Certains murs ont vraiment un message à transmettre.
Some walls do carry a message.
Finest !

alice said...

This one is "une oeuvre d'art"!

Janet said...

Looks like a lot of thought (and paint) went into this.

Anonymous said...

Very nice choice for theme day. I really enjoy this type of art!

The D in D & T said...

This is fantastic! And I couldnt agree more, definitely worth keeping. This mural is why i think this form of art is so important. Great choice.

Lynette said...

Thank goodness it's still there and you got to share it with us!

Ming the Merciless said...

Love the mural! It is politically and socially charged but I like it a lot.

edwin s said...

It'll stay there for many years more. And thank you for showing it to us :)

Uma por Dia said...

A really historical mural. Dont let they paint them or vadalize it

R&R said...

Wonderful mural ... I too hope it survives for future generations.