The Nashville Walls Project took the local art community by storm last May when successful artists from all around the world converged on Nashville to transform the sides of buildings into murals for everyone to enjoy.
Nearly a year later, the second phase of the Nashville Walls Project took place with artists focusing on murals on the sides of buildings in The Gulch.
"Right now, it's a little bit chaotic, but ideally it all ends up kind of working together the way that everything does in nature," internationally renowned artists Ian Ross said as he was painting his mural.
Ross described his style as "hyper-organic."
"I want to slow people down a little bit, get them to stop, look at it, and try to figure it out," Ross said, adding that his piece could be considered an "urban jungle."
For the second phase of the project, local artists were brought in to help and to learn.
Muralist Zidekahedron has put his own art on Nashville walls, including the iconic octopus on Gallatin Road in East Nashville.
"When I moved here six years ago, there was barely anything downtown street art wise," Zidekahedron said, but he said with local artists becoming more prevalent and the attention brought to the art community through the Nashville Walls Project, it's becoming more prominent.
For Ross' mural, Zidekahedron helped the artist with the completion of the project, and Zidekahedron said it was an honor to work with an artist he had been following for years and who had painted for plenty of big-named clients like Facebook.
Zidekahedron was also scheduled to be able to paint his own wall in The Gulch along with other local artists, adding a local flare to the Nashville Walls Project.
While murals have been becoming more noticeable and more widely accepted in Nashville, artists have known there's still room for more.
"The music is so prominent, that art form probably just dwarfs any type of visual art reference that you might hear of," Ross explained. "I think it's something that's starting to pop up more here."
In the jungle of glass buildings known as The Gulch, the walls featuring the new murals will definitely be something to be noticed.
"I think it adds a lot of social value to a neighborhood and it can be a catalyst for lots of good growth," Ross explained. "It's something I'm honored to be a part of. This is such an incredible spot."
On Saturday, an art exhibit with the muralists and local artists was scheduled from noon until 6 p.m. in front of the murals on 11th Avenue. There will also be live music, and the event has been set to be free and open to the public.
