With the completion of one new local mural and several more in the works, the seventh annual installment of PRHBTN – the street art festival that facilitates the creation of a handful of new local murals each year – is officially underway.
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Keya Tama Mural - PRHBTN 2017
South African artist Keya Tama's mural (144 Church St) - the first of this year's batch of PRHBTN murals - was completed Thursday, Oct. 19
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Keya Tama Mural - PRHBTN 2017
South African artist Keya Tama's mural (144 Church St) - the first of this year's batch of PRHBTN murals - was completed Thursday, Oct. 19
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Keya Tama Mural - PRHBTN 2017
South African artist Keya Tama's mural (144 Church St) - the first of this year's batch of PRHBTN murals - was completed Thursday, Oct. 19
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Keya Tama Mural - PRHBTN 2017
South African artist Keya Tama's mural (144 Church St) - the first of this year's batch of PRHBTN murals - was completed Thursday, Oct. 19
The event kicked off last weekend, as the first round of international muralists took to the downtown Lexington streets to begin work on new public artworks.
On Oct. 14, Los Angeles-based South African artist Keya Tama (a.k.a Jack Fox) began on a mural located at 144 Church St., on the rear wall of Block + Lot’s Short Street office. In addition to street art, Tama – the 19-year-old son of celebrated African street artist Faith 47, who PRHBTN brought to central Kentucky last year to paint a mural in down downtown Winchester – also creates animation videos, comic books and music. The artist’s Lexington mural, painted in his signature black-and-white acrylic style, depicts a large cartoon fox with hands reaching up to a bird. The mural wraps around the corner of the building, which is visible from the Church Street parking lot located next to Lussi Brown Coffee Bar. The mural was completed in the early hours of the morning today (Thursday, Oct. 19) after the artist worked late into the night to complete it.
Also this past weekend, muralist Jessica Sabogal began working on a several-story mural on the rear wall of the 21C Museum Hotel building (the building is located at 167 W. Main St., but the mural is visible from behind the building, accessible via Short Street). Sabogal, who was born in Colombia and is based in the Bay area, plans to work on the mural through Monday, Oct. 23, and will give a talk at the Lexington Art League’s Loudoun House on Oct. 20. Sabogal says that her street art serves as “a haven, a tribute, a creative outlet of adoration and exaltation for women with stories often untold.” Claiming to have been inspired by literary works written by poets, authors, and women of color, Sabogal is known for creating a visual campaign utilizing the phrase “Women Are Perfect,” and is also active in the "We The People" public art campaign that was created in collaboration with renowned street artist Shepard Fairey. Working in a male-dominated medium, Sabogal has reinvented what it means to be a female muralist by creating brave, beautiful and powerful visions of female identity.
The mural madness continues over the next week, as Japanese artist Dragon76 will begin transforming a west-facing wall on West Sixth Brewing (facing the Legacy Trail) on Oct. 20. He plans to work through Oct. 24. His style is said to blend more traditional graffiti art with the Japanese art forms Manga (comic art) and Ukiyo-e (17th-19th century woodblock prints and paintings). Said Dokins, a Mexican calligraphy artist, will create a temporary mural on an exterior wall at the Loudoun House, facing the courtyard, replacing the mural created by Patch & Whiskey last year. (The wall will continue to rotate with new murals in future years.)
PRHBTN organizers John and Jessica Winters raise money via crowdfunding and sponsorships each year to bring in a handful of nationally acclaimed muralists to Lexington for the project, which is geared to increase the city’s public art collection. While the artists’ expenses are covered, the artists donate their time to the project. More than 20 murals have been created in Lexington over the past seven years as a result of the annual project.
Click here to peruse some of our past articles about PRHBTN.
UPCOMING PRHBTN EVENTS:
- Jessica Sabogal Mural Creation at 21c Museum Hotel. Oct. 14-23. Colombian-born muralist Jessica Sabogal began working this past weekend on a several-story mural on the rear wall of the 21C Museum Hotel building (visible from a parking lot accessible by Short Street). PRHBTN organizers post updates on the artists’ schedules when they can. Click here to track the progress via Facebook.
- Dragon 76 Mural Creation at The Bread Box. Oct. 20-24. Japanese artist Dragon76 will transform the west-facing wall of West Sixth Brewing (facing the Legacy Trail) and the public is invited to stop in and watch the artist in work as the mural progresses. PRHBTN organizers post updates on the artists’ schedules when they can. Click here to track the progress via Facebook.
In conjunction with the seventh annual PRHBTN, the Lexington Art League will host the following events at the Loudoun House Gallery (209 Castlewood Dr.):
- Soft Opening for PRHBTN Gallery Exhibit ft. w/ Artist Talk by Jessica Sabogal. Friday, Oct. 20, 6-9 p.m. This event will allow attendees the opportunity to watch Mexican calligraphy / graffiti artist Said Dokins in the process of creating a temporary mural on the exterior / courtyard wall of the Loudoun House. The event will also feature the soft opening of the PRHBTN gallery exhibit, featuring street-art-inspired artworks by local artists including Agustin Zarate, Alan Serna, Andrew Hoctor, Carl Wagoner, Casey Peel, Clint Bright, David Fromke, Derrick Riley, Emily Miller, Emma Guinnip, Geoff Murphy, Graham Allen, James Harris, Jason Scroggin, Jeremy Burch, Jesse Albert Glenn, Jessica Hope Whittington, Jon Frederiksen, Joshua Penrose, Kai, Kenneth Hayden Art, Lennon Michalski, Madison Cowles, Michael Richardson-Borne, Michelle Newby Armstrong, Nick Warner, Patrick Smith, Ryan Rado,Skylar Davis, Stephen Wiggins, Susan Dworkin, Teresa Montejo, Todd Herzberg, Tommy Wilson, Travis Sparks and Urban Maurer. Muralist Jessica Sabogal will also give an artist talk during the event. The exhibition at the Loudon House Galleries is commission-free, with 100% of the proceeds from all art sales benefitting the exhibiting artists.
- Mural Workshop led by Graham Allen. Saturday, Oct. 21, 1-5 p.m. Local artist Graham Allen of the collaborative artist group SquarePegs, recently completed the local Harry Dean Stanton mural at the Kentucky Fun Mall (located on the corner of North Limestone and Loudon). He will lead a workshop on the basics of mural creation, including focused instruction of acrylics, aerosol can control techniques and stenciling, as well as an artist Q&A. Click here for more details or to register.
- LAL Fourth Friday / PRHBTN Opening Party. Friday, Oct. 27, 6-midnight. This month’s LAL Fourth Friday event will coincide with the Loudoun House’s PRHBTN exhibit opening, featuring “street art” inspired artworks by local artists (see “Soft Opening” above for more details). The event will feature food from Sweet LiLu’s, a beer tent courtesy of West Sixth Brewing and music from DJ Leeroy. An after-party curated by PRHBTN organizers will kick off at 9 p.m., with music from PROF, Crayns, and Hammuh.