BLKOUT Walls festival returns to Detroit with over 20 murals, artist talks and block party

Nour Rahal, Detroit Free Press
·6 min read

Detroit is set for explosion of color.

Come the weekend, the historical Woodward Avenue will be graced with more than 20 new vibrant murals, courtesy of the BLKOUT Walls Mural Festival 2023 artists.

The festival is a Black-led, immersive art event held bi-annually in Detroit. Local, national and international artists converge to paint an array of large-scale murals in about a week, according to organizers. This year, murals will cover walls throughout the north end of Detroit and Highland Park.

The BLKOUT Mural Festival hosted local and national artists along with some from the International scene to work on 25 murals around metro Detroit Monday, September 11, 2023. Torrence Jayy from Detroit works on his mural Roses 2 Patricia along Woodward Ave.
The BLKOUT Mural Festival hosted local and national artists along with some from the International scene to work on 25 murals around metro Detroit Monday, September 11, 2023. Torrence Jayy from Detroit works on his mural Roses 2 Patricia along Woodward Ave.

The free week-long event includes engaging artist panels, interactive workshops and culminates in a lively block party on Saturday, Sept. 16. Along with music, food and vendors, walking tours will be given of the finished murals during the party.

Representing the community's resilience through art

Conceived by Detroit's Sydney G. James, along with Thomas Evans of Denver and Max Sansing of Chicago in 2021, the new art installations will be thoughtfully positioned across the community. The goal is to elevate BIPOC voices and narratives, as well as enhance underutilized areas within the city — promoting neighborhood walkability and tourism, according to a news release. The 2023 festival theme is resilience.

"The inspiration behind (the festival) was really the absence of Black people in the mural festival world. Even in Detroit-based mural festivals, it never broke five to ten percent of Black people participation," James said. "So we made it happen in 2021 and here we are on our second festival in 2023."

The BLKOUT Mural Festival hosted local and national artists along with some from the International scene to work on 25 murals around metro Detroit Monday, September 11, 2023. Sydney G. James and Ijhania Cortez from Detroit are working on their mural that will incorporate the Turkey Grill restaurant menu on Woodward. Sydney is the organizer of the event procuring buildings for the artists and raising funds for the event.

The success of the BLKOUT Walls Mural Festival in 2021 led to more participation and recognition this year.

While painting one of her murals during the 2021 festival, James was approached by the owner of Turkey Grill in Detroit, established in 1996, who asked her to include the restaurant the next time around, she said. Recognizing that the restaurant's wall offered a larger canvas than the others, James made the decision to collaborate on it with fellow artist and mentee, Ijania Cortez of Detroit.

James said their goal with this mural was to preserve the Turkey Grill sign, while showcasing the history of the restaurant.

The BLKOUT Mural Festival hosted local and national artists along with some from the International scene to work on 25 murals around metro Detroit Monday, September 11, 2023. Sydney G. James and Ijhania Cortez from Detroit are working on their mural that will incorporate the Turkey Grill restaurant menu on Woodward. Sydney is the organizer of the event procuring buildings for the artists and raising funds for the event.

"I composed it like somebody is holding a menu, so the Turkey Grill sign acts as a menu and we're painting a scene of multigenerational men inside," she said. "It's our eclectic and vibrant version of the restaurant."

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A returning participant of the festival and independent artist, Torrence Jackson of Detroit, is dedicating his mural to his grandmother, Patricia Jackson, who died in 2015. The mural, called "Roses 2 Patricia," also features his character Astro Noir — inspired by the popular Japanese manga, Astro Boy.

"When I think of resilience, I think about my family, particularly my grandmother," Jackson said. "Her coming from Louisiana up to Detroit, that takes resilience. Her telling the stories of her life and trials and tribulations, that sparks resilience in my mind. I decided to adorn her around with roses and then added my character as an Astro Noir cupid."

The BLKOUT Mural Festival hosted local and national artists along with some from the International scene to work on 25 murals around metro Detroit Monday, September 11, 2023. Amadeus Roy from Harper Woods works on his mural Friendly Neighborhood Nomad along Woodward Ave.
The BLKOUT Mural Festival hosted local and national artists along with some from the International scene to work on 25 murals around metro Detroit Monday, September 11, 2023. Amadeus Roy from Harper Woods works on his mural Friendly Neighborhood Nomad along Woodward Ave.

Jackson grew up 10 minutes away from Woodward Ave., where all the murals are being painted. He expressed deep gratitude for the chance to be a part of the mural festival.

"Growing up, I didn't know I could do art as a profession and I wasn't really exposed to the art world, so this gives me an opportunity to show not only other artists that you can do with as well, but the younger generation, too. I'm really just trying to drive that point home to younger kids, like my nieces and nephews."

Sharing the wall under a viaduct with Jackson is Tiera Knaff of Detroit, who is working on her first mural, called "Give People Their Flowers." Both Knaff and Jackson have similar art styles and a character inspired by Astro Boy, which is why the two artists were paired up to collaborate.

The BLKOUT Mural Festival hosted local and national artists along with some from the International scene to work on 25 murals around metro Detroit Monday, September 11, 2023. Tiera Knaff from Detroit works on her mural Give People Their Flowers along Woodward Ave.
The BLKOUT Mural Festival hosted local and national artists along with some from the International scene to work on 25 murals around metro Detroit Monday, September 11, 2023. Tiera Knaff from Detroit works on her mural Give People Their Flowers along Woodward Ave.

"My piece is focused on understanding who you are and giving the people that helped you grow their flowers. I created this character, Astro Buddy, and he's learning who he is in the world," Knaff said. "The flowers in his hand represent him giving the city, or where he came, from their flowers for making him who he is today."

Through these murals, the history and richness of the Black community is highlighted, James said.

The BLKOUT Mural Festival hosted local and national artists along with some from the International scene to work on 25 murals around metro Detroit Monday, September 11, 2023. Oshun Williams from Detroit prepares to work his mural Growing Pains along Woodward Ave.
The BLKOUT Mural Festival hosted local and national artists along with some from the International scene to work on 25 murals around metro Detroit Monday, September 11, 2023. Oshun Williams from Detroit prepares to work his mural Growing Pains along Woodward Ave.

"The people really get to see themselves in the work, even if it's in a cartoon, they get it. It's the flavor, it's the culture, it's the everything that we have to offer and now it's on display in a very, very big way," James added. "Even though we have plenty of public art around the city, I feel like this activation in particular, it shows us for who we are, what we are, what we can be what we want to be, what we didn't even know we wanted it to be. It shows all of that and embodies all of that."

Other areas being painted include the Q-Line Substation, the New Center Market, the DTE Substation and more. A full list of artists participating in the 2023 mural festival can be viewed here. Those eager to view the progress of the murals can do so via the BLKOUT Walls interactive mural map.

Attend for free: artist panels, workshops and block party

The BLKOUT Walls Mural Festival is a Black-led, immersive art event held bi-annually in Detroit. A block party on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, will showcase over 20 new murals artists have been working for a week.
The BLKOUT Walls Mural Festival is a Black-led, immersive art event held bi-annually in Detroit. A block party on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, will showcase over 20 new murals artists have been working for a week.

The block party, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16, will take place at the Chroma building in Detroit, located at 2937 East Grand Blvd.

Leading up to the block party, several free artists talks and workshops will be held. To reserve a spot for each event, click the links below:

  • Tuesday, Sept. 12: The Future of Street Art panel explores the influence of technology on street art in Detroit, and its evolution over the years.

  • Wednesday, Sept. 13: The Women on the Walls artist talk highlights the perspectives of women and nonbinary people in murals and graffiti art.

  • Wednesday, Sept. 13 through Friday, Sept. 15: Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) youth sessions engages children in the arts.

    • Location and further information are yet to be released. Check out the BLKOUT Walls Mural Festival website or contact organizers here at blkoutwallsfest@gmail.com.

  • Thursday, Sept. 14: The Art of Business artist talk discusses the connection between creativity and commerce.

Contact Nour Rahal: nrahal@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: BLKOUT Walls festival brings new art to Woodward Avenue