The budget for this project was allocated by members on the Memphis City Council.


BACKGROUND

About Chelsea Wall/Evergreen Area: 

Built in the 1940's by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers , the wall is part of a levee system that protects Memphis from rising flood water.  Part of a $12 million project completed in the late 1940s WPA project- floodwall during the Depression that the newspapers called "the greatest engineering project ever undertaken in this city, and probably the one most vital to our city's commercial life." The Chelsea flood wall protects thousands of people in North Memphis from the Wolf River, which is higher than usual just like the Mississippi River. This area began as a community of emancipated slaves and freedmen shortly after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and existed as a part of Shelby County until the early 1960s. Rich with history, this area was known for many things such as being one of the earliest producers of vinyl records. Being home to historic figures like esteemed Tuskegee Airmen  Lt. Col. Luke Weathers and community activists such as  Minister Sekura, formerly known as Lance" Sweet Willie Wine" of the invaders.  The area is also home to  Kilowatt lake, which is known for  being the second largest lake in the city limits; it once supported outdoor active lifestyles and activities.

SITE SPECIFICS

UAC and the Selection Committee selected six artists to create murals on the Chelsea Floodwall. This wall is located along Chelsea Ave in the North Memphis area. The northern section of the concrete flood wall runs roughly parallel to the Wolf River, snaking in and out of neighborhoods along Chelsea Avenue, and ending just east of North McLean Street.  The flood walls are 12 inches thick and stand anywhere from 3 to 8 feet high, depending on their location. Each panel on the wall measures approximately 20 ft in width. The southern portion remains unpainted, and starts running along Nonconnah Creek, begins at Martin Luther King / Riverside Park and stretches eastward to Prospect Street, near Pine Hills Golf Course.

*Image of the Northern Section of the wall that will be painted. Wall is .3mi long

*At nearly 500 acres, Kilowatt Lake  the second largest lake in the City of Memphis.

* image used is to show the average height of the wall

SCOPE OF WORK

  • Highlights environmental issues, social justice themes, and community aspirations,  respect for oneself and the neighborhood, encouraging good neighborliness

  • Discourages littering and pollution, etc.

  • Create depth in a composition - consider foreground, middle ground, and background

  • Celebrates a sense of pride, longevity and the value of family

  • Feels warm and welcoming to visitors and residents who pass the mural daily

  • Challenges viewers to learn something through the art

  • Children at play

  • Promotes value of education/ and the black history of the area 

  • Advocates for protecting the beauty of Mother Earth/nature, Gardening and Flowers

  • Promoting Healthy living

  • Mural themes that are motivational, educational, and historical

  • Kilowatt Lake

SELECTED ARTISTS

  • Becka Matthews

  • Jamond Bullock

  • Charlie Forrester

  • Wilson Whitlock

  • Derikah Scott

  • Daria Red

SELECTION COMMITTEE

  • Natasha Strong, Resident

  • Louise Jones , Resident

  • Pamela P Moses, Rise-Up

  • Chief-Andre Matthews , Resident and Oka Nashoba Community Development

  • Katyana Dandridge, MPA
    Lead Multicultural Outreach Coordinator

  • Pastor Melvin Lee, __________

  • Atitia Carter , Multicultural Outreach Coordinator

  • Fred Robinson , Resident

  • Gloria Fulton Singleton , Resident

  • Lenora Pipkin, Resident

  • Michalyn Easter-Thomas, Councilwoman

  • Syd Lerner, Vice Chair Greater Memphis Greenline

  • Engineering Person (TBD)