project overview

BEARWATER GREENLINE MURAL | Bearwater

Artist: TBD

Budget: $60,000 (includes three finalist honoraria of $500 each)

Upcoming benchmark/update: Artist Selection

BACKGROUND

About Bearwater Neighborhood:
Bearwater, a neighborhood in North Memphis, received its name from the frequent sight of bears sipping from a stream of water flowing from the Wolf River stream.  During the 1970s and 80s, Bearwater had a booming commercial and retail presence. Bearwater was once filled with multiple convenient stores, barber shops, bars, and lounges along 2nd street. Since much has been done to restore housing development, and currently there are priorities to revitalize the commercial and community spaces for all to enjoy. 

About Bearwater Greenline project:
The City of Memphis, Shelby County, and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)  completed the Bearwater Greenline project along N 2nd Street in 2023. The path includes a 125-foot lighted tunnel below the entrance to Grind City Brewing. The Greenline project features spacious walkways, an exercise park, and playground. The proposed tunnel

About UAC:

The UrbanArt Commission (UAC) works to create opportunities for artists and neighborhoods to connect and shape spaces through public art. Since 2002, UAC has managed the City of Memphis’s Percent-For-Art Program, which allocates funds annually to develop public art in connection to capital improvement projects. UAC also facilitates public art projects throughout the city working with various partners and clients to support artists and new experiences with art.

Bearwater Greenline

Bearwater Greenline

Bearwater Greenline

Bearwater Greeline

SCOPE OF WORK

The UrbanArt Commission (UAC),  Shelby County, and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) are seeking an artist to create a large-scale, exterior mural.  The proposed tunnel mural project should feature meaningful art that educates the public and empowers the historical Bearwater community.

The selection committee has expressed interest in an exterior mural that:

  • Includes Bearwater in large text

  • Features transportation: Steamboat and Trains (this area was formerly on train tracks)

  • Incorporates designs that are welcoming, uplifting, and inclusive, reflecting both Bearwater’s history and its continued growth.

SELECTION COMMITTEE 

  • Andre Jones- Co-Owner of Jones Urban

    Andy Greenman- CRA

    Alan Higdon- Community Stakeholder

    Charia Jackson- CRA

    Felicia Lloyd- TechFit, Bearwater Resident 

    Glenn Lloyd- TechFit, Bearwater Resident

    Hopper Seely- Grind City Brew

    Rachael Clark-  Bearwater District Neighborhood Association

    ____________- City of Memphis Engineering Division


About Artist:

TBD

Coming soon…