Local writer and photographer Eric Stone has been spending time in Bogotá, Columbia, lately putting together a book about its street art.
Stone said Bogotá is arguably the world’s capitol of murals on public buildings in the streets and that gave him an idea for Clarksdale.
Four international artists will be coming to Clarksdale for a “Paint the Town 2018” event Sept. 15-30 where murals will be painted on walls throughout the community. Coahoma County residents will have opportunities to work with the international artists.
The artists coming are Erre Erre, who just came back from a month in Germany and was involved in show of an opening of her work in Berlin; Likmi, who painted all over North America and Europe and Latin America and a little in Asia and is getting ready for a big show in Barcelona; Dast, who will be coming directly from Boston, as the South Shore Art Center in the Boston area invited him to do an exhibit and paint in the museum for two weeks; and Gersonfonseca, who is mostly well-known throughout Latin America, but has also painted in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and France.
Stone said he does not know what the artists will be painting, but it should give tourists another reason to come to town.
“A lot of the authenticity is based on blues, obviously, and blues is certainly, even since I’ve been coming here, most of the older, authentic blues artists have died,” he said. “They’re being replaced by younger musicians, some of whom are really great, but there’s not nearly as many of them. Blues is hardly a dying culture, but it’s becoming, in many ways, a historic culture, as opposed to strictly a living culture. I think, to that extent, it helps to broaden the appeal of places to add to the attractiveness.”
The artists will use mix paint from buckets with brushes and rollers, along with spray paints.
The biggest area they will paint is on the wall beginning on the corner of Second Street and Delta Avenue above the entrances of Hooker Hotel, Delta Digs and Squeeze Box and the part of the wall with nothing on it. They will also be at Hambone Gallery during that time exhibiting smaller work people can buy.
Another wall will be facing Martin Luther King Boulevard near the New Roxy.
Some walls in the alley between Second and Third streets will also be painted. One is behind Marty’s Barber Shop, another is behind Nellie May’s and a third wall faces the parking lot near Nellie May’s.
A wall at Clarksdale Collective on Delta Avenue will also be painted.
One grant from Clarksdale Revitalization Inc. and another from the PORCH (Preservation of Rural Cultural Heritage) Society and donations will pay for everything.
“I think a lot of people have been concerned that local artists were not initially approached to do this,” Stone said. “I understand that concern, but I think one of the main goals of this is to raise the recognition of Clarksdale as a place that’s friendly to the arts, that’s welcoming to the arts. Because Clarksdale’s already an international destination for blues lovers, it will get international publicity from having internationally-known artists here.
“I think, in the long run, that publicity will help the local artist community by upping their game, by giving them more recognition for their work, so that, hopefully, in the future, Clarksdale artists can also get international recognition.”
Painting begins Monday, Sept. 17 and local artists will have an opportunity to talk with Stone about getting involved at a meet and greet at Yazoo Pass late that afternoon. Coahoma County residents interested in getting involved can get in touch with Stone by messaging him on his Facebook page or going to the “Paint the Town 2018” Facebook page.
Stone, originally from Los Angeles, first came to Clarksdale 13 years ago as part of a tour for two of his books. One was about Major League Baseball player Ralph "Blackie" Schwamb of the St. Louis Browns who was a gangster in the offseason. The other was a first in a series of four detective thrillers based on stories he covered working as a journalist in Asia.
That led to him moving to Clarksdale five years ago and trying to make a difference with events such as “Paint the Town 2018.”
“I sold my house in L.A. I wanted to live somewhere that was more of a community where you got to know your neighbors, where there wasn’t as much traffic, where life is easier,” he said. “So, five years ago, I moved here and bought a house, fixed it up and have been happily living here ever since.”
