PAINTING THE TOWN - Public art makes us feel more connected as a community

Throughout Jackson, public art has become both more common and more widely celebrated. Our city has long been vibrant, but now, our streets, walls, and common spaces match our soul. Public art gives a human element to the cityscape, connecting those that walk its streets.

When you head downtown, you’re sure to see the “Welcome to Jackson” mural by artist Scott Allen off of State Street, exemplifying the hospitable and colorful city you’re entering. As owner of A+ Signs, Allen has helped spur the growth of Jackson’s public art with the highly visible welcome mural, a

Midtown mural as part of an Our Town grant through the National Endowment for the Arts, the vibrant façade of Fondren Fro Yo, and a variety of painted traffic signal boxes throughout the city. Allen believes that public art gives the city a vibe that’s as unique as those that inhabit it.

On the corner of Capitol and Monument Streets, artists joined forces to help lift spirits of passersby with a collection of murals from artist Justin Ransburg and others. Local artist Eli Childers, along with friend and fellow artist Ahza Sanders, designed and painted a mural for Wilkins Elementary School on Castle Hill Drive, which depicts an array of black heroes—Marcus Garvey, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Barack Obama, Medgar Evers, and Mary McLeod Bethune. Childers’s mission was to add a bit of sunshine and inspiration to the area. Since, he has painted many more murals throughout the city for local businesses like Midtown’s Coffee Prose and Good Samaritan Center, and Downtown’s Arts Center of Mississippi.

TOUR LIKE A LOCAL

As you venture to the Mississippi Museum of Art and Art Garden, you will see the work of Jackson artist William Goodman, on the north wall of the museum. This ephemeral mural was created by the artist to reference pop culture moments, and people who inspired him. It’s recognizable in Goodman’s signature graffiti style. “Subconscious View Mater” has become a staple of the museum’s identity.

Like many Jacksonians who are dedicated to the public art movement, visual artist Will Brooks has researched and plotted a public art map presented by Visit Jackson. As you paint the town, pay a visit to some of our public art installations to experience more of what makes Jackson special.

For a free map on Jackson’s public art installations, go to visitjackson.com/publicartmap.