Neighborhood Art

Sometimes you don’t need to head to a museum to take in great works of art and attempt to discover what inspired them.  Sometimes all you have to do is look around.  In my travels throughout the southeast side of the city, I’ve noticed many fascinating murals in the most unassuming places.

While utilizing the bank’s drive-up ATM, I spotted pictures on the façade across the parking lot. Since many of them were hidden behind by mature trees and other plantings, I surmised they had been there for some time. Though its current occupant is now an electronics company, they confirmed over 25 years ago the building was home to a hardware business. That explained the nuts and bolts.

Down the street Rogers Department Store exited and Klingman’s Furniture entered. The site has been transformed to include a community park with a lovely rendition of a flowering countryside painted on the corrugated fencing separating the space from the adjacent property.

And the lower parking lot of a corner church showcases a community-themed wall.

Not only are these locales aesthetically pleasing, but they also detail the way a community connects and gives back.  They make you feel good about what’s happening in the neighborhood. They say, “we care.”