If you live around here, then you’ve likely seen Memphis’ many murals around town. From specialty murals for locally owned businesses to sprawling murals on random buildings, Memphis is home to an amazing assortment of muralists and their art. With summertime upon us and a pandemic in full swing, now is the perfect time to hop in the car, go on foot or on bike to check out some of these murals. We caught up with a few popular Memphis muralists to find out about their own work and where to find murals they love by other artists – read on to see if your favorite made the list.
Mural: Title Unknown by Kevin Hutchins
Location: 1384 Madison St.
“I always thought this piece on Madison was an overlooked killer – it’s one of the best painted murals in town in my opinion. I think the alien-ness of that style in midtown makes it memorable. Don’t know anything about the history or the artist other than his name is Kevin Hutchins.” Michael Roy (Birdcap)
Mural: ”Bait” by Birdcap/Michael Roy
Location: Behind the Eclectic Eye on Cooper, 242 Cooper St
“I’m proud of the mural scenes development in Memphis. In general, I’m proud of how generations of muralists are moving the scene forward to be competitive internationally – I’m really proud of Nosey42 for investing so much in Memphis and helping build a contemporary mural scene here indebted to American graffiti and I’m also really proud of Toonky Berry for keeping it going and running with it. When I started painting murals in Memphis a decade ago, you already couldn’t find an area that hadn’t had Nosey’s hand in it – I’m in my thirties now, and it’s exciting to see young talented muralists like Toonky come up and keep driving the scene in their twenties.” – Michael Roy (Birdcap)
Mural: “Stand up for our Streets” by Jamond Bullock
Location: 3327 N Watkins St
“This mural brings awareness to the serious trash dumping problem we have in one of the largest communities in our city, Frayser . The focal point is the black father teaching his son the fundamentals on recycling. This could appear to be an ordinary teachable moment but the imagery of a black father teaching his child a life lesson on respecting and loving the earth is rarely seen in the media. This father loves his son enough to teach his son about his environmental impact in society.” – Jamond Bullock
Mural: “Interbeing” by Josh Sarantitis
Location: Central High School – 306 S Bellevue Blvd
Mural: “Midtown Girl” by Toonky Berry
Location: “Midtown Queen” – La Vogue Salon – 1873 Madison Ave
“This piece is my most popular mural. Locals tell me that this is their favorite mural of mine. It’s definitely my favorite til this day. Many people say they see themselves in her. For this mural I wanted to cater to Midtown Memphis. She’s a beautiful midtown girl with piercings, tattoos, and big hair. She’s racially ambiguous because midtown is a melting pot. No matter what race you are, you can see yourself in her. The accessories in her hair are the iconic sculptures and landmarks that resides in midtown. Last but not least, she has a ‘Midtown’ crown to top it off.” – Toonky Berry
Mural: “Psychedelic Americana” by Nosey
Location: Rendezvous – 52 S 2nd St.
“Nosey always kills it with the dynamic collage type compositions and limited palettes, which makes this one of my favorites.” – Toonky Berry
Mural: Title Unknown by Danielle Sierra
Location: 233 Henry Ave
“There are several murals in Memphis that I absolutely love. One of my favorites is a recent mural by Danielle Sierra. It’s a collaboration with the Bickford Community Center. Danielle and her team did a great job of designing a mural that works well with the building’s composition. It’s a beautifully balanced arrangement.”- Siphne Sylve
Mural: Title Unknown by Siphne Sylve
Location: Riverview Middle School – 241 Majuba Ave
“This mural was a collaboration with Service Master volunteers. It was a great experience because the entire day was filled with people helping others.” – Siphne Sylve
Check out our map of these murals here:
To check out more murals in Memphis, visit the Camels and Chocolate blog or Downtown Memphis’ Mural Guide.
You may also be interested in: Unique Things to do in Memphis
