Art in the Twin Ports
MURALS THROUGHOUT DULUTH AND SUPERIOR
Throughout the Twin Ports, more and more murals are popping up in different areas. Some are tucked away in alley ways, “heaven” spots- which is a graffiti term for those high up, hard to reach places- and others hidden in plain sight. Some of these have been around for years, but a handful of others are from just this past year. While reading about these featured murals is fun, we would encourage you to go see them in person for yourself.
MURAL OF THE PALACE THEATER
In 2009, muralist Brian Olson, painted this 30 by 36-foot painting on the back of the Douglas County Historical Society building. While creating this, he also happened to be painting the first outdoor mural in Superior. The mural depicts the inside of the Palace Theater back in its heyday in the 1920’s. The theater was unfortunately torn down in 2006, which was why this mural was the perfect way to remind people of the rich history of Superior.
SHANTY MURAL
Another mural that reminds people of the positives is the mural on 4th street in Duluth, which was done by two muralists and tattooists Taylor Rose and Kevin Pendleton. They were commissioned to do portraits of the owner of the Shanty Bottle Shop and his wife on the side of their store. It also gave the artists a good opportunity to connect to the community during the midst of covid with everyone in lockdown.
TORTOISE & HARE MURAL
In West Duluth another mural fills a 90 by 14 foot wall on the side of Tortoise & Hare Footwear. It was done by artist Tom Napoli in 2018. The mural consists of 46 separate panels, and features the story of the tortoise and the hare but taking place against the skyline of Duluth from Ely’s peak to the harbor.
While these pieces are incredible, it is only a fraction of the different art and murals that are ever-growing in the Twin Ports area. The methods and mediums that each artist uses varies drastically, and each one can take anywhere from a couple hours to a few months which makes it all the more enjoyable. If you’re interested in finding these murals and others in the Twin Ports, all you have to do is keep an eye out. Most murals tend to be on the sides or backs of buildings, or even on fences like the newest one at Jamrock, while others, like at Average Joe’s or Sweeden Sweets, the murals are wrapped around the buildings making them hard to miss.