Deep Ellum’s first murals and wall paintings started going up in the late 1980s as live music venues began advertising their upcoming shows by painting an ever-changing calendar on their walls. As muraling evolved, businesses and community stakeholders embraced the artform as a staple of Deep Ellum.
In 1992, the contemporaneously formed Deep Ellum Community Association invited artists to paint the walls of the Good-Latimer tunnel. The tunnel was repainted frequently, becoming a dynamic and iconic entrance into the neighborhood. Local artist and gallery owner, Frank Campagna, remembers the effort as “pure creative harmony with a dash of perfect mayhem.” In 2012, the 42 Murals project revitalized the love of murals in Deep Ellum as patrons and artists began to flock back to the neighborhood.
With over 130 murals covering Deep Ellum, it can seem overwhelming to discover the most exciting works of art. To help you get out and discover Deep Ellum’s public canvases, we are providing 3 guided mural maps of Deep Ellum. The first map covers 10 Deep Ellum murals that have been gracing walls for several years and are considered neighborhood classics!
- American Flag – Artist Unknown – 2730 Commerce Street
- Deep Ellum TV – Frank Campagna – 2605 Elm Street
- Deep Ellumphants – Adrian Torres – 3601 Main Street
- DIRK – Josh Mittag – 2934 Taylor Street
- Doyenne – Matriart Studio – 3601 Main Street
- Horses – FAILE – 409 S. 2nd Street
- I Love You – Dusty Gilpin – 2912 Elm Street
- Sailboats – Dan and Cathryn Colcer – 2501 Main Street
- Stevie Ray Ellum – Steve Hunter – 100 N. Crowdus Street
- Water Tower – Ricardo Paniagua – 251 S. Hall Street
