Amarillo
Murals By Eric Miller
Have you seen them?
They are everywhere in Amarillo and Canyon. They represent the hard work and inspiration of artists, business people, educators and civic leaders. They are murals - oversized paintings that take a blank wall and transform it into something to admire, even when you’ve driven by it many times. The murals change with the time of day, amount of sunlight, and distance from the design. They bring color to previously subdued red, brown and gray walls, explains Beth Duke, Executive Director of Center City of Amarillo. In addition, they make outstanding backdrops for selfies, Tik-Toks and other forms of digital self-expression. They are always worth a stop, especially now as we search for things to do in our pandemic world. Braley Beck, tourism coordinator for the Amarillo Convention and Visitor Bureau, has been an early promoter of city murals. In her job she is always looking for something new for visitors and residents to do. Her work has made her a defacto keeper of information, building a database of murals and art installations and creating a web page that’s a good place to start your own research. Historic Route 66, particularly SW 6th Avenue between Georgia and Western Streets, is home to more than 20 murals large and small. Try to find “The Heart of Amwerica” mural on the side of 6th Avenue’s Massacre Haunted House, which depicts the entire length of Route 66. It's faded and blocked by trees, but this mural was Instagram-worthy before there was Instagram. 25
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New is the “Welcome to Amarillo” mural on the side of the Route 66 Visitor Center at 1900 SW 6th, site of the old Myers Chicken Restaurant. Scope out Historic Route 66 by car, stop at the murals, shop with local merchants and grab something to eat or drink in one of the diverse restaurants. Downtown boasts the results of the 2019 Hoodoo Mural Festival, a first-of-its-kind project that linked businesses with local civic and art leaders to create works of art throughout downtown. The festival brought in muralists from across the country to join local artists in improving the downtown streetscape. The festival added six murals, all within a short distance of each other. The Hoodoo murals, with artist names and locations are: • Malcolm Byers at 300 SW 7th Avenue • Jerod DTOX Davies at 212 SW 6th Avenue • Sandra Fettingis at 509 S. Tyler • Ms. Yellow at 414 S. Polk • Blank Spaces Murals & WT Mural Squad at 406 S. Polk • Emily Ding at 411 S. Fillmore. “We bought boxes and boxes of spray paint for the festival. In fact, we went to Albuquerque to get the extra paint we needed,” festival co-chair Andrew Hall commented.
Hall, a local resident and Center City board member, compares the Hoodoo collection of murals to nationally-known mural groups such as Crush Walls in Denver and Winwood Walls in Miami. They totally transformed the neighborhoods, making them big contributors to the economic development of the city. Hoodoo 2021 is tentatively set for October 2. To learn more about this project visit www.hoodoomural. com Jason Boyett guides the City of Amarillo’s Mural Grant Program, an effort of the city’s Beautification and Public Arts Advisory Board. The program went through its first round of grants in 2018 and 2019, which netted a new mural in the passenger terminal at the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport and four others located at 1200 S. Taylor, 2406 SW 3rd Avenue (two), 3405 S. Western and 3100 SW 6th Avenue. COVID-19 stalled the effort in 2020, but it’s full speed ahead for 2021. New projects may be selected for development later this year. “We’re
catching up. It’s like dominoes - once one mural is completed it leads to more and more walls becoming canvases,” Boyett says. Another city-related mural is along the 10th Street underpass between Grant and Garfield Streets. Sponsored by the Barrio Neighborhood Planning Committee, it’s worth parking at either end of the underpass and walking the sidewalks beneath the railroad tracks to see the entire mural. Two groups of local art students are very active in creating murals: AISD's Blank Spaces and the WT Mural Squad. The AISD team, based at Caprock High School, has created 14 murals with plans and dreams for many more. In return, they have generated $40,000 for scholarships, according to group coordinator Shawn Kennedy, himself a muralist for more than 25 years. The WT Mural Squad just re-created a mural at Canyon’s main intersection at 4th and 23rd. When you go, see if you can name the four local notables in the “Mt. Rushmore” of the Panhandle. continued on page 27
Take a look at Visit Amarillo’s web site to plan out a path for your family to visit murals across the area: https://www.visitamarillo.com/things-to-do/arts/art-installations/ WWW.PANHANDLEMAGAZINE.COM | SPRING 2021
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