Public murals do so much for a community. They strengthen a place's local identity, celebrate history and culture, foster economic vitality, and simply beautify our urban spaces. Murals also bring joy. Think about the delight to be had when, simply going about your day, you suddenly spot a new piece of colorful art on the side of a once-drab building, underpass or retaining wall.
Summer has been prime mural-painting time around Spokane, and the following new installations are definitely worth a detour.
SOUND WALL MURAL
711 N. Helena St. (behind Ironside Apartments)
At a confluence of nature and urbanization, a 700-foot-long concrete wall is bringing a burst of color and upbeat energy to a developing area of East Spokane. The freshly painted "Sound Wall Mural" boasts the work of more than a dozen local artists thanks to an effort spearheaded by artist Karli Fairbanks.
Named for the purpose of the structure it's on — dampening train noise along a set of tracks running past the newly constructed Ironside Apartments — the wall runs east to west near where the Iron Bridge pedestrian and bike path crosses the Spokane River.
Working through some of the hottest weather in July and August, the group finished painting just in time for a mural reveal party on Aug. 28.
"The theme is growing together, and you know the location is right by the river — the very end of it is 50 feet from the Spokane River — and I wanted to tie in a sense of creative collaboration and nature," Fairbanks says.
With a simple color palette of coral pink, pale peach, cornflower blue and a toned-down lime green, each artist painted alternating panels down the wall reflecting their unique style.
"Each artist only had two colors to work with, which is a fun creative challenge, but also just makes the mural look really cohesive even though there's a bunch of different styles incorporated into it," she says.
Fairbanks painted about half of the wall herself due to the project's sheer scale. Fifty gallons of paint was needed to complete the entire mural, which she estimates covers more than 5,200 square feet.
"It's an insane amount of paint," she says. "I've never done anything this big."
Another massive mural is taking shape in the same area, as Spokane artist Ellen Picken works to bring her colorful, geometric four-story-tall design to one side of the Ironside Apartments. Work was underway atop scaffolding as of last week. (CS)
LONGBOTHAM BUILDING MURAL
24 W. Main Ave. (west side of Café Coco)
On Saturday night, West Main Avenue is the place to be for those seeking live music, dancing, drag or a night of bar hopping, but during the day it's turned into a prime place to see quite a few colorful murals.
A brand-new mural by Chris Winn, the owner of Main Ave Tattoo, appeared on the side of Café Coco last month. According to an Instagram post, this is Winn's first mural, and he wanted to "bring some sunshine into everybody's life that walks and drives by." The mural features a smiling sun and brightly colored flowers with the names of building tenants inside, including Zola, Café Coco, Coven Hair Studio and Winn's own Main Ave Tattoo. (MP)
SARANAC/COMMUNITY BUILDING MURALS
35 W. Main Ave. (alley between Browne and Division Streets)
Even more murals sit on the other side of West Main Avenue directly behind the Saranac and Community buildings.
After taking on the role of the Community Building's manager last July, Angela Chapman ended up with a long to-do list in her hands.
"The murals were on that list of things to start," she says. "I thought it was the most awesome idea, so we developed a grandiose idea and went with it. We wanted to bring beauty to the alleys where people don't expect it. People from all around use the alley — we wanted it to be inclusive and beautiful."
Chapman and Katy Sheehan, executive director of the Community Building Foundation, put out a call to local artists for mural designs depicting what beauty means to them personally. Selected artists Amber Hoit, Daniel Lopez, Brittany Trambitas, Danielle Davis and Hazel Miller went to work earlier this summer to turn the alleyway into a vibrant throughway.
The plan is that every two years, the murals will be painted over by new artists.
Hoit's mural on the back of Merlyn's showcases Black superheroes. Lopez's art is a tribute to family, while Davis' abstract mural brings a feeling of whimsy. Trambitas' contribution makes the alley feel like an art gallery, with painted frames around various vignettes. Miller's artwork features birds and plants, reminding visitors that nature is never far away. (MP)
GARLAND ART ALLEY: STUDIO GHIBLI TRIBUTE
Little Noodle, 713 W. Garland Ave.
The Garland District is known and beloved for many things, including the Garland Art Alley. The artists' haven runs down the back of buildings along its namesake avenue's southern alley. Artists of all ages and styles have left their mark there, and colorful new pieces pop up regularly.
One of the Art Alley's newest mural installations as of summer 2024 is Desmond Boston's ode to classic Studio Ghibli films by animation master Hayao Miyazaki. On the alley's east side at Garland and Wall Street, the mural wraps around two sides of Little Noodle restaurant, from its side patio to the hidden entrance of Itty Bitty Buddha bar. Ghibli fans can find several favorites: Kiki, Princess Mononoke, the Catbus and Totoro. Boston's done plenty of other murals around town; follow him on Instagram for updates: @desmond1530. (CS)
KOBE AND GIANNA BRYANT
Affordable Insurance, 1514 W. Northwest Blvd.
A lifelong Kobe Bryant fan and newly designated "girl dad," Tony Williams sought the talents of Spokane muralists and painter Daniel Lopez for this touching tribute. Painted along the west-facing side of his North Spokane insurance business, the mural depicts the late basketball star embracing his daughter, Gianna, as angel wings gently wrap around their shoulders.
"The mural was completed on 8/2/24, the same day the Kobe Bryant statue [in downtown LA] was released," Williams says. "It just so happens to be, obviously, Kobe's basketball number and his daughter's basketball numbers — Gianna wore No. 2 and Kobe was No. 8 and 24. So the man upstairs kind of put this all together in a beautiful harmony."
Williams also dedicates the mural to his 2-month-old daughter, Harlee.
"[Kobe] was a self-proclaimed 'girl dad,' if you will," he says. "That's really beautiful and when, you know, your superhero or someone you admire passes away sooner than you would like them to, it makes you reflect on things that are important."
On the building's opposite side, Williams commissioned Lopez to paint a second tribute to Bryant, this time alongside Michael Jordan. (CS)
ASPHALT ART: BROWNE'S ADDITION
Intersection of Third Ave. and Elm St.
Cast your eyes downward for a change! Spokane Arts' Asphalt Art program has been trucking along with plenty of projects keeping artists busy throughout the summer.
The newest addition to the street art collection is a piece by Carly Ellis. Situated at the intersection of Third and Elm in Browne's Addition, the mural features the neighborhood's historic Coeur d'Alene Park gazebo, Campbell House, a person walking their dog and, of course, a cyclist.
Other recently completed pieces of asphalt art can be found outside of The Scoop on the South Hill by Chris Bovey, artist Matt Smith's street mural in Hillyard next to James J. Hill Park and the Pride crosswalk on Riverside Avenue in downtown Spokane. (MP) ♦
SPOKANE MURAL RALLY
To make up for time lost during the COVID pandemic, which impacted Spokane Arts' ability to schedule new public mural projects, the organization is installing seven new murals all at once this September.
Local artists Sarah Sinclair, Kaitlyn Kelm, Lisa Soranaka, Mariah Boyle, Joseph Chan, Yelena Yunin, Desmond Boston and Willow Tree will be painting designs on seven BNSF retaining walls and underpasses throughout the downtown core. For those who want to watch the artists in action, here's the mural rally schedule. Most artists start work at 10 am. (MP)
Howard Viaduct (East)
Sarah Sinclair, Sept. 6
Howard Retaining Wall (West; between billboards)
Lisa Soranaka and Mariah Boyle, Sept. 6
Wall Viaduct (East)
Joseph Chan, Sept. 13
Wall Viaduct (West)
Kaitlyn Kelm, Sept. 13
Madison Viaduct
Willow Tree, Sept. 13
Jefferson Viaduct (West)
Desmond Boston, Sept. 16
Jefferson Viaduct (East)
Yelena Yunin, Sept. 16
