The murals in the Deep Ellum Blues Alley, a project completed in 2021, pay homage to bygone blues artists such as Freddie King and Ma Rainey, and the neighborhood already boasts of at least two murals of Erykah Badu and Leon Bridges. These walls don’t just talk but croon, recalling the sounds that made them legendary.
The past few years have spurred a more urgent effort by the Deep Ellum Foundation and other advocates to represent the people who make the district what it is. And why wait decades after their passing to commemorate them?
Starting this week, in honor of DE’s 150th anniversary, Deep Ellum light poles will display 150 banners with photos of the artists and people who have played a hand in making Deep Ellum cool. Among them are singer Kierra Gray, artist Kaia Bellanca, poet Rawlins Gilliland and our own contributor, podcaster Andrew Sherman.
There’s also a big party coming. The Deep Ellum Block Party on Nov. 23 will act as this year’s biggest open concert in the neighborhood, replacing last year’s Deep Ellum Music Festival. It will have several activations including a spelling bee, a beer garden and a kids' area. The pièce de résistance, of course, is a concert bill that’s stacked with talent from The Polyphonic Spree to Wu Tang’s Raekwon, and from Ishi to Big Tuck.
In addition to a main-stage concert, local music showcases will take place at venues such as Club Dada and Twilite Lounge.
Promoter Gavin Mulloy, who assisted with booking, says this was inspired by the (for now!) defunct Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase, which offered access to several Deep Ellum venues in one night.
"The Deep Ellum Block Party is a state of mind, really,” Mulloy says. “This neighborhood is a party 52 weekends a year and most of the other days, too. We invite you in and need visitors to make everything we put on work.”
The Observer has its own showcase at Ruins that will include local favorite Remy Reilly and neon-clad psych-pop band Helium Queens.
“This weekend is just that on steroids — thanks to our sponsors,” Mulloy says. "Wait til people see all the stuff going on. It's really gonna be awesome. I've got some surprises in store."
To coincide with the concerts, a mural project spearheaded by artist Jerod DTOX Davies will marry visual art with music in a way Deep Ellum hasn’t seen in decades. The murals will depict Dallas musicians, from the gargantuan (The D.O.C, Kelly Clarkson, Post Malone) to the newer icons: Leah Lane, Cameron McCloud, JD Beck.
Concertgoers will be able to see the artists painting live as the murals go up under the bridges leading into Deep Ellum in an area designated as The Musical Art Garden.
The honorees include late icon Shaun Martin, who died in August (and whose mural will be created by curator Davies), Edie Brickell and freakishly skilled keys player RC Williams, who will be painted by Ray Albarez. Williams, who is Erykah Badu’s Grammy-winning musical director, will be a featured performer at the Block Party concert. He says he's thankful to the DE Block Party for the recognition.
“I’m so honored, I love my music community," he says. "Deep Ellum is definitely a musical treasure with a rich history of amazing artists, musicians and culture."
We reached out to singers Leah Lane and Sudie about their murals. Neither had heard the news yet and were too stunned with excitement to send a statement.
IZK Davies, who will be painting Vaden Lewis, lead singer for Toadies for the project, says: “We will be there in full force, the day of the block party, creating together and reviving the art park to give the musicians their 'flowers' in visual form,” says Davies. “Over 20 artists have been selected and by first week of December, phase one will be complete. This is a revitalization that will encompass past, present and future for both muralists and the musicians they spotlight."
The visual artists in the mural project are from various sectors of the city, though, so far, Latin artists seem to be underrepresented in mural form. (We strongly suggest the late, great Dennis Gonzalez, for one.) The Latin community's contributions to Deep Ellum will, however, be represented via a showcase hosted by Deep Ellum Community Association’s Veronica Young.
“We have the monuments that were there previously, and we're still fundraising and hoping to do another phase where essentially this can be kind of an ongoing project where we add new monuments as new artists are kind of up and coming,” says Stephanie Hudiburg, executive director of the Deep Ellum Foundation. “And we have the opportunity to highlight more artists because, of course, we couldn't include everybody that we want to just because there's only limited space. And so we hope it will be a rejuvenated continual project that continues to add artists for years to come.”
Don't Wait for Their Funeral To Give Them Flowers
Hudiburg says the portraits will be there for many years to come. It's been 15 years since the last refresh of the street art where the Musical Art Garden will be located.“For years it has been a dream of mine to see all four 'entrances' into Deep Ellum become a magical and interactive gateway,” says Jerod DTOX Davies. “This Musical Art Garden project begins that journey coming to life, and I cannot wait for Dallasites and visitors alike to discover, enjoy, learn and be impacted to the point of inspiration by this upgraded special area in our already world-famous entertainment district of Deep Ellum."
He says the muralists were selected after a “public art call” and the subjects were chosen by “a committee of Deep Ellum alumni and biz owners,” who “decided who was best fitting for the project since it is focused on portraits of notable North Texans.” They then asked the painters to pick the subject “they were drawn to, to try and get every artist to produce their best work and work comfortably within their wheelhouse.”
“The caliber and spectrum of talents we have assembled make this project so exciting,” Jerod Davies says. “And I am honored to help lead this beautification initiative for Dallas and Deep Ellum. Having been a professional muralist for the past 22 years I am excited to bring my expertise, insight and support to this group and endeavor.”
Parking is a common complaint among nighttime visitors to Deep Ellum, but we can't stress enough that the DART will drop you off in the middle of the action. Hudiburg says there will be plenty of parking and other ways to get there.
"We have lots of spaces, we just need to direct people to them," she says. "We'll put that out with social media. We'll also actually have a bike valet. The Dallas Bicycle Coalition is partnering with us, and they're going to have a place for anybody that wants to come. We'll also have kind of scooter corrals as well. So people can get to it in multiple different modes and not just by vehicle."
