54 new or expanded murals went up in Cabbagetown this weekend
Atlantans can now appreciate a series of new and updated murals along Wylie Street in Cabbagetown, where this weekend 54 artists gathered to paint sections of a half-mile wall as part of the annual Forward Warrior Project.
For more than a decade, the Forward Warrior project has given artists an opportunity to paint live for public crowds, transforming urban spaces with public art. Saturday, the Forward Warrior artists could be found standing on scaffolding and covered in drips of paint as they brushed, sponged and sprayed the walls with color.
Wylie street was closed to car traffic between Powell and Estoria streets for most of the day, allowing crowds of adults, kids and pets to meander by foot while peering up at the artists at work.
The sharp scent of spray paint mingled with earthy whiffs of marijuana as the breeze blew, periodically cooling an otherwise scorching day. Trip-hop music blared through speakers on one block; while on another a street performer, The Human DJ, played tunes on a keyboard and trombone.
A row of artisan vendors set up across from the mural wall, selling a wide range of goods from handcrafted cutting boards to vintage cameras, puzzles, metal sculptures and popsicles.
Near the Krog Street tunnel, the cavelike corridor known for its graffiti-covered walls, a miniature version called Mini Krog was erected to allow children to make their own marks with spray paint.
Many aspiring young artists were at the event, including 3-year-old Nilaani Flink, who was spotted coloring a page of paper to mimic the artwork of a muralist painting above her.
“She really wanted to draw along with him and see what she could do,” said Nilaani’s father, Ben Flink, who used to live near Cabbagetown before he moved his family to Morningside.
“It’s fun to watch how excited she gets about art here and how much she wants to emulate. … That joy I just didn’t expect. … We very much miss the character of this part of town.”
Atlanta artist Peter Ferrari spearheaded the Forward Warrior project in 2012 during a time when he was enjoying a lot of live music events around the city. He thought, why don’t artists have similar opportunities to perform and create live?
He launched the event to give artists a live painting performance gig. In that sense, each artist is an instrument in a jazzy visual symphony.
“It seemed like a natural experiment to try,” Ferrari said. “I knew people enjoyed watching painting live, but I knew that watching just one artist paint might get a little tedious.”
The event started across town at the back of a former gallery where Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall now sits along the Atlanta Beltline.
In 2014, it moved to its current home in Cabbagetown. The event has grown each year, expanding from a dozen of Ferrari’s friends painting murals, to now featuring 54 muralists.
“I couldn’t have imagined it would be where it is today,” Ferrari said.
Returning artists can opt to either paint over their previous mural, or alter it.
A few murals give nod to Atlanta landmarks past and present. One by Atlanta muralist Nathan Tavel features the names of once beloved Atlanta businesses now dead, painted on gravestones. Tavel updates it every year.
Rory Hawkins, aka Catlanta, paints Easter eggs of imagery from around Cabbagetown locals might recognize: a black cat that used to hang out at Littles Food Store, or a bush someone trims to look like Pac-Man.
“This is one of my favorite weekends every year because there’s so much energy,” said Hawkins, who has painted a mural for Forward Warrior every year for roughly eight years. “I think people really get a chance to interact with the process.”
Some murals serve as memorials (for example, a tribute to Breonna Taylor by artist Tommy Bronx). Others contain uplifting messages, humorous characters or fantastical creatures.
“Not everybody comes to the event as a muralist,” Ferrari explained. “We’ve had people who were traditionally tattooers, people who are fine artists, illustrators, sculptors. People who have a graffiti background, others who have never painted a mural before.”
By Sunday morning, most of the murals were nearing completion. The murals are intended to stay up until next year’s Forward Warrior Event.
Beyond perusing the walls at leisure, Atlantans can also appreciate the artists through several other related events:
On Sept. 25, from 6-7:30 p.m., the High Museum of Art will host a walking tour, led by Ferrari, of the murals along Wylie Street.
Through Oct. 9. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center is featuring a gallery show of works by Forward Warrior Artists.
On Nov. 8, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Cabbagetown’s Chomp and Stomp, an annual chili cook-off and bluegrass festival, will take place alongside the new murals.
And John Dirga, a longtime Cabbagetown resident and the executive director of the Cabbagetown Initiative Community Development Corporation, gives regular scheduled tours of Cabbagetown’s public art via the Airbnb experiences platform.
Correction
The story was updated to remove the name of the artist in the main image. The artist was misidentified.
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