Reviewed by: Mary Helene Hall
Downtown Ensley’s iconic Color Project mural is being brought back to life
Reading time: 3 minutes
Here is something we need to see happen more often in Birmingham: A beautiful mural refreshed back to its original grandeur.
This month, The Color Project mural located at 321 19th Street in downtown Ensley will be restored more than a decade after it was painted in 2015.
Created by acclaimed artist Ukuu Tafari (formerly known as Antjuan Oden), the massive mural is being brought back to life by the current owner of the building, DMT, a PS Logistics Company.
The installation of the mural, which was on the side of the Bethesda Life Center 11 years ago, was the signature piece of The Color Project Ensley, the brainchild of the late Brian “Voice” Porter Hawkins.
The piece by Ukuu started what became a public-art movement in Ensley.
Downtown Ensley’s iconic Color Project mural gets a refresh
Earlier this year, DMT leader Matt White met with WAR (We Are Rtists) founder Jessica Latten, along with Deidre Clark and Bettina Byrd-Giles, co-founders of Ensley Alive — the group that originally commissioned the painting. During the meeting, White reaffirmed DMT’s commitment to preserving the mural.
Thanks to DMT’s support, Ukuu has been welcomed back to Ensley to restore the mural.
Ukuu Tafari honors one of Ensley’s first Black women business owners
According to Ukuu, the newly refreshed mural has brought back the vibrance of the colors. He has also inserted silver and metallic highlights that are “really only visible at night and change depending on how the lights from passing cars and the red light hits them.”
To remember and honor Brian “Voice” Hawkins, he is also going to add one of his poems selected by his surviving partner.
The mural honors Ukuu’s grandmother Zula M. Dobynes, one of the first Black women business owners in Ensley. In a 2018 interview with Bham Now, Ukuu voiced his devotion to preserving her legacy:
“The mural in Ensley is dedicated to my Granny. She had a wig shop. She made dresses. She sold gospel music. After my grandfather died, she took care of seven children. She ran her business with such grace. Incredible woman. The words ‘Ensley Alive’ on the mural signifies hope and community.”
Ukuu Tafari
Have you seen The Color Project Mural in Ensley or any of the other works of art throughout the neighborhood? Drop your favorite Ensley mural in the comments below or tag us on Instagram @bhamnow.
