38th and Chicago is widely known as the place where George Floyd took his last breath, and started a galvanized movement against unjust brutality at the hands of police. George Floyd Square is filled with murals, such as George’s face painted in black and white that hangs next to Unity Foods by Peyton Scott Russell, and Jordan Powell-Karis’s fist sculpture standing in the center of the square. You can read more about some of the art, and George Floyd Square’s long standing legacy here.

Founded in 2007 by a group of neighbors, this building originally started its life as a silent movie house by the name of the Nokomis Theater. Today, Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center is not only a place for art to be seen, but CAFAC uses programs like its SPEAK project, which amplifies the voice of young people, especially those who are less often heard from, on important issues facing the community.

Known for eye-popping surrealist 3D murals, Pugh brought multitudes of literal meaning to the simplicity of Theater in the Round, and created a Earth-sized sphere (think a rounder version of the Bean in Chicago) pushed by a director and two stagehands outside its confines of the theater into the wide open world ready to receive it.

Created as a collaborative piece between the two groups of artists as a part of the Murals on Central project, and in partnership by NEMAA and Public Functionary (Leslie Barlow, Maiya Lea Hartman, HIbaaq Ibrahim, Silent Fox, Witt Siasoco, Martzia Thomtez, Alex Smith, Jordan Hamilton, & Reggie LeFlore). The piece loudly shouts out that aside from the wonderful foods from many diverse cultures that Central Avenue is known for providing, it is also known for the rich tapestry of arts and creatives that it houses.

Commemorating a community garden located between Central and Lowry Avenue, both Mike Davis of Burlesque Design and artist Chank created murals to celebrate the culmination of this community garden. Mike Davis’s mural showcases some of the rich produce that grew out of the garden, and while it may be fenced off currently, the mural still provides a reminder of the rich produce it once cultivated.

Provided as a gift to the city of Minneapolis for its collaborative efforts as being sister cities with Cuernavaca, the capital city of Morelos, Mexico since 2008. It is also the birthplace of Emiliano Zapata Salazar, a hero who is celebrated for fighting for the rights of Indigenous people, and poor people. The governor of Morelos provided this statue of Zapata, and was unveiled on East Lake Street during open streets to celebrate the Mexican owned and operated businesses that line
East Lake Street, and is the central focal point of Plaza Centenario at 12th and East Lake Street.

A marketplace that houses 35 different businesses at the corner of Lake Street and Bloomington got quite the awe-inspiring facelift when Venezuelan muralist and illustrator Pablo Kalaka painted two different murals that wrap around the entirety of Mercado Central. The murals showcase the indigenous roots, history, and thriving culture of Latinos not only inside Mercado Central, but of the businesses that span the elongated stretch of East Lake Street.

Located at Peavey Field Park, Touchstone Plaza contains a lovely steel and nylon archway, which upon entrance, gives way to a mosaic pavement made up of traditional iconography of the different cultural groups that resided on Franklin Avenue. In addition, the gathering space at Peavey Park contains four benches made of concrete and tile, which can also be used as a performance space.

Photo from Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

Equal parts plaza and art project, this was done in partnership with Metro Transit, this standalone piece by Marjorie Pitz was done as a way to offer an innovative and eye-opening twist to serve those that take refuge for the bus stop at Penn and Broadway. Winding walls and plants help accentuate the plaza, making the bus stop quite a focal point.

While the TATS CRU has been known for their awesome mural work, especially those that were created for and that pay tribute to artists in the world of Hip-Hop, they were commissioned by Juxtaposition Arts and City of Skate with helping bring together this awesome plaza and skate park at the corner of Emerson and Broadway, and if one looks hard enough, you might see a nod to the Purple one in the mural, too.