Shreveport Public Art

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Architectural Details of Shreveport Murals by Roberto Salas

Architectural designs title sign

In 1998 Roberto Salas and a group of Shreveport artists used architectural details of Shreveport buildings to paint 12 murals based on those pieces of architecture. Other contributing artists include: Abby Fowler, Barry Galloway Donna Service, Buddy West, and John Rivers Bicknell. ( Sorry if I forgot anyone, or attributed a mural that wasn't part of the project) My goal is to find all 12, I've found 8, and three of them were painted over, I'm suspecting the other 4 were painted over or I'm not counting smaller murals that are next to each other separately.

1. Crocket Street

2. Marshall Street Overpass, West Side

3. Marshall Street Overpass, East Side

4. Marshall Street Overpass

5. Blue Scroll, 711Texas Street

5. 318 Texas Street

Painted over murals
Abby Kent also helped with these murals http://www.amkent.com/public_art.htm

6. 308 Market Street

Misc. Downtown Shreveport Murals

Here are a few miscellaneous murals that I haven't written about yet and that are spread throughout downtown Shreveport, Louisiana.

"Call to Action" Ali Bahler

"Once upon a Millenium Moon" by Meg Saligman

"Rose" by Don Alexander PAINTED OVER

Marshall Street Railroad Underpass

"Maximus"
712 Milam Street - West Wall of the Harkey Building

The West Edge Mural Project 2001
By Bill Scott, Walter Washington, Willie George Jr., and John Will Young
605 Texas Street, Just west of City Hall

Caddo Lake Mural on Classic Reprographics Building by Don Edwards

305 Market Street

Caddo Lake by Don Edwards

"Let The Good Times Roll" by Don Alexander, Designer Tama Ripps Nathan

101 Crockett Street at Festival Plaza

Let the Good Times Roll at Festival Plaza

Let the Good Times Roll at Festival Plaza

Let the Good Times Roll at Festival Plaza

This large mural is painted on the Shreveport Times building overlooking Festival Plaza on Crockett Street.
Northwest Louisiana local Tama Ripps Nathan was the designer of this mural and her bio page with NWLA Artists can be seen here.

Don Alexander has painted other Shreveport murals such as the Shreveport Rose. Here is Don Alexander's profile with NWLA

America My Beloved
Crockett Street

"Rolie Polie Olie" by Mike Dean and William Joyce
Commerce Street and Milam Street, Shreveport, LA

"Rolie Polie Olie" by Mike Dean and William Joyce

Clarke's Jewelers
Line Avenue and Peirremont, Shreveport, LA
not downtown but great mural

Clarke's Jewelers Mural, Line Avenue Shreveport, LA

Clarke's Jewelers' Mural

4847 Line Ave. Shreveport, LA

I have no information on this mural, but it is large and bold

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Old Town Bossier Murals

Bossier City Post Office
150 Benton Bossier City

A nice hidden mural at the old hidden post office.

Lieutenant Barksdale by Manning 1995
Red River Refinishing 904 Barksdale Boulevard, Bossier City

Bossier Arts Council
630 Barksdale Boulevard, Bossier City
The Bossier Art COuncil website is bossierarts.org.

"Three-Fold Unity" by James Borders 1999

Here is a short bio of James Borders.

Mural

"Blowing Bubbles" by Chris Opp

"Blowing Bubble" by Chris Opp

"Blowing Bubbles" title

This is a large mural on the back wall of the Bossier Arts Council. It is easily seen from I-20. I'm guessing that is it is supposed to be a girl dreaming of her undersea adventures that she had just read, and not that she drowned because of her books.
Artist Chris Opp has a website here, http://www.oppartinc.com
He had some pretty amazing 3D art and fabrications.

Metal sculpture in parking lot of Bossier Arts Council

Bossier City Traffic Division Mural
By Bossier Parish Community College October 1995
700 Barksdale Boulevard, Bossier City

Bossier Traffic Division Mural by BPCC

Antique Street light in front of Bossier Traffic Division mural

Bossier City Metal Art Zoo
601 Barksdale Boulevard, Bossier City

grasshopper

bear

dragon

giraffe

"Live Oak Avenue" by Buddy West and Abby Fowler 1999
601 Barksdale Boulevard, Bossier City

"Live Oak Avenue" by Buddy West and Abby Fowler Kent

"Live Oak Avenue" by Buddy West and Abby Fowler

A majority of the murals in Old Town Bossier City are done by Buddy West (Merlin Buddy West), and most of them are over a decade old. I am grateful for the work he did as there is only a few other pieces of public art in Bossier City.

Buddy West passed away in 2008
Abby Kent contributed to many other murals in the Bossier and Shreveport area, including the Architectural Details murals, unfortunately some of them have been painted over. Here is Abby Kent's website, http://www.amkent.com/murals.htm

Bayou Belle Pelican mural by Buddy West 1995
525 Barksdale Boulevard, Bossier City

Pelican by Buddy West

Pelican by Buddy West

Historical Barksdale Drug Sign
Restored by Red Horton 1994
Minden Road and Barksdale Boulevard, Bossier City

Historical Barksdale Drug Sign Restored by Red Horton 1994

Pharmacy sign Restoration label

"What a State for a Daydream" Abby Kent
Old Chevrolet Building Barksdale Boulevard, Bossier City

Oh wait! This mural has been white washed! It was nice while it lasted I guess. I'll daydream that this doesn't make me mad about Bossier.
Present day