Gulfton Salvation Army Thrift Store Will Soon Be Surrounded by Murals

Longtime Gulfton activist Tammy Rodriguez’s likeness is now fully rendered in the mural above, as well as that of Pastor Alejandro Montes, to her right. The pair makes up one third of the population now flanking the Salvation Army store’s west side along Ashcroft Dr. off Bissonnet, a block east of Hillcroft Ave. Chicago-based artist Rahmaan Statik (who got some design inspiration from students at Braeburn Elementary School) plans to have the work complete for an unveiling ceremony this Saturday.

It’s one in a set of 3 murals that public art organization UP Art Studio has planned for each side of the thrift store building — except for the south face, pictured above — as part of a project dubbed “Growing a Brighter Tomorrow in Gulfton.”

Work on the east side began with this preparatory whitewashing:

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A sneak peek at what the street artist formally known as w3r3on (full name: Gelson Danilo Lemus) has going on over there:

DENIAL is the moniker of the Ontario-based artist working on the north side.

Photos: Noah Quiles (whitewashing); UP Art Studio (murals); Shops and Goods (Salvation Army)

Bissonnet and Ashcroft

One Comment

  • The subjects don’t look very “diverse”. In this age of diversity, it feels kinda tone deaf. Just sayin.