‘The Pythia in Agate,’ a mural by Joe King that was completed in October 2021 as part of the 10th annual PRHBTN street art celebration. Photo by Lily Foster
Following several years in hibernation, a Lexington street art celebration will come back to life this month.
Led by John and Jessica Winters with the help of some new partners this year, PRHBTN (pronounced “prohibition”) will oversee the creation of half a dozen new murals across downtown Lexington from Oct. 9-21. The event’s revival will feature a strong Kentucky contingent, with local artists Graham Allen, Kacy Jackson and Wylie Caudill collectively representing half of this year’s sponsored muralists.
According to John and Jessica Winters, PRHBTN was put on hold in 2022 due to a combination of the couple feeling burned out and wanting to spend more time with their young son. For more than a decade the two of them had overseen virtually every aspect of the complex event with little to no help. Eventually, the long days caught up with them, and they felt the need to step back from the event.
“It got to the point where I’d wake up at 6 a.m., to get the kid ready for school, and then I’d go straight into picking up artists, ending the night late before getting up early again the next day and doing it all over again,” John explained. “We always told ourselves we wanted to do this until it wasn’t fun anymore, so when that happened, we knew it was time to step back and focus on family.”
After noticing a growing desire for the series to return, Jeff Murphy and Alexandrea Pangburn — two local artists who’ve regularly participated in PRHBTN’s annual gallery exhibit at the Lexington Art League — reached out to the Winterses last year about bringing it back. After deliberations, the duo opted to jump back into the game –– this time, with the support of Murphy and Pangburn, who now handle the bulk of logistics and securing sponsorships.
“Our goal is to show them how we’ve done things so we can step away again at some point and pass this on to the next generation of organizers,” Jessica said.
Since the origins of PRHBTN in 2011, the endeavor has survived on crowdfunding, primarily from donations from the Central Kentucky business community and contributions from individual donors. With over $18,000 raised this year through its Kickstarter, the Winterses estimate that around 75% of their funding comes through that platform, with contributions ranging from $60 to $70.
Among the new murals to go up this month as part of PRHBTN are works by Los Angeles artist Emily Ding. Ding's large-scale work is characterized by expressive animals and figures, which come to life through bold color gradients and a fluid, painterly style. Photo furnished
That consistent support and buzz from coming back has all led to this being one of PRHBTN’s best funding years to date. For the first time ever, the six participating muralists — which also include Los Angeles’ Emily Ding and Kiptoe, and Scotland’s SMUG — will be paid for their work. (Previously participating artists had their travel, lodging, supplies and other basic expenses covered but were not compensated for their work.)
With the absence of major corporate sponsorships, “building relationships with the local businesses and individuals in our community has been paramount to PRHBTN’s success,” John said. “At the same time, the way we connect with people now is completely different than when we started. It used to be all about flyers, posters and in-person stuff, but now it’s a lot more about social media and getting the view count up on your reels. Things have changed a lot, but we have a dedicated core who support us and make this all possible.”
Like paint on a wall, that dedication is embedded –– not only with those donating to PRHBTN, but also the building- and business-owners who offer up their canvases to be painted, with nothing more than a loose vision presented to them in advance. Prior to each mural creation, the artist and building owner typically meet for an introductory “vibe check,” where the building owners could learn about the artist’s style, subject matter and general plans. Beyond that, Jessica said, it’s completely up to each muralist what they want to create.
Also based out of Los Angeles, artist Kiptoe will create a new mural for this year's PRHBTN. Photo furnished
“It takes a big leap of faith from [the building owners],” she emphasized. “The only approval we’ve ever had to get on an actual image was the Lincoln mural [on the back of the Kentucky Theatre], because it’s on a city building, and subject to committee review.”
While PRHBTN usually doesn’t cover up murals unless asked, it is making an exception this month when Kacy Jackson will paint over the Jelly Roll mural on the EconoPrint building at the corner of Maxwell and Broadway. First installed as a temporary display by Dani Greene ahead of the singer’s performance at Rupp Arena in 2024, the display had drawn disdain from locals recently about its continued presence in such a high traffic part of town, prompting business owners to team up with PRHBTN to replace it.
“We had been talking to [EconoPrint] about painting another of its walls, when they asked if we could paint over the Jelly Roll mural instead,” Jessica explained.
Fans can observe all of these murals, including a collaboration between Wylie Caudill and the Faulkner-Morgan Archive, during public painting parties on Oct. 12 (featuring Wylie Caudill and SMUG at 139 W. Short St.), Oct. 13 (at Kacy Jackson and Emily Ding’s site, 407 S. Broadway) and Oct. 15 (at Kiptoe’s worksite, 331 E. Short St). Each party is free to attend and will also include food trucks, beer from Country Boy, interactive art projects and more, from 5-7 p.m.
PRHBTN is also hosting an opening exhibition at the Loudon House on Oct. 9 from 5-9 p.m. followed by an after-party at Al’s Bar at 9 p.m. Lastly, an intimate artist talk at 21c Museum Hotel on Oct. 14 will round out the festivities, which will collectively give locals more ways to experience and consume the event than ever before.
“We’ve never had a year with so many events, so I’m excited to involve the community more in that way,” exclaims Jessica. “One of my favorite things is watching the artists work. We’re hoping folks will bring their kids out and get a spark of creative inspiration themselves during these family friendly evenings of fun.”
More info is available at PRHBTN.com.
Scottish artist SMUG, whose work is pictured here, will create a mural at 139 Short St. Photo furnished