The project to transform the graffiti-covered former Ballard Blossom building is complete, with murals from five local artists now encasing the vacant building.
The project was spearheaded by the Ballard Alliance and the Ballard Public Art Committee, who chose the five artists and organized supplies and access. The mural now covers two sides of the two-story building at 1766 NW Market St.
The Ballard Alliance did not fund the project; rather, they’ve set up a GoFundMe to source community funding to pay the artists. The Alliance says that each mural shares a message and that each is connected through floral elements as a nod to the former building tenants, Ballard Blossom.
Craig Cundiff painted the top left east-facing portion of the building. “I’m basing the concept around honoring the LGBTQ community, which has a lot of roots in Ballard. I’m also keeping it anchored to Josie and Victor’s floral theme and lighter palette,” Cundiff said.
Dozfy, known for his art depicting animals on a black background, chose subjects that are often represented in Norse culture. He painted the groundfloor south-facing wall and a portion of the east-facing wall.
Josie Rice, famous around Ballard for her vibrant floral designs, covered half the ground floor south-facing wall and the north-facing ground floor space.
Juan Angel Roman (aka Nepo) “channeled old Ballard through tattoo-style art,” adding an element of social justice to each aspect of his piece. His work is on the top right, east-facing wall.
And finally, Victor Melendez’s mural depicts the cultural influences of his Mexican American background, with extravagant colors and flora and fauna covering the front of the empty building.
For more background about public art around Ballard, visit Ballard Alliance’s website.
Photo: Ballard Alliance
Very nice, but just keep the blinkers on while walking around the rest of Seattle these days… https://www.facebook.com/SeattleLooksLikeShit/
We are NOT supposed to notice all the FOJ: Friends of Jenny. We are supposed to pretend they’re not there. We are supposed to make believe it’s not their fault and to blame anybody BUT the enablers. This diversity is killing large American cities. People are fleeing. This scourge and blight IS the legacy of DemocRATS.
Can’t you just stick to r/SeattleWA?
Various factually tenuous statements. Hyperbole. Fomenting against Democrats. Something something something. Homeless this and that.
Why can’t this building be torn down? On properties slated for redevelopment, why don’t developers tear down the old building right away so they don’t become nuisance buildings? Does anyone remember the old Seattle Times building and the problems the squatters caused?
Is it a permit thing? I’d really like to know.
It can take years to get a demo permit from the city.
The owner would definitely want this torn down right away. An unoccupied building has a pretty high insurance rate. Higher than an occupied building.
Um, WTF would we have to talk about if it were NOT for inept leadership and a city going to crap? Seems to be a pattern here. Seems many accept anarchy and instability. Seems to get a certain party and their friends elected, again, and again, and again…………………..
Various factually tenuous statements. Hyperbole. Fomenting against Democrats. Something something something. Homeless this and that.
gosh, i really really hope the vagrants infesting that building/area weren’t disturbed. heaven knows they are just recovering after losing their jobs, apartments, houses because of mean old amazon. or something like that.
People are making money off of these folks. Why would they and many other conditioned educated folks want this to end? KOMO says C-19 is now ravaging through these ubiquitous camps too. Quite the legacy Miss Durkan. Great job city council. We are SO proud of the mess you’ve made.
Various factually tenuous statements. Hyperbole. Fomenting against Democrats. Something something something. Homeless this and that. And another thing.
How mural is differ from graffiti?
Simple, but these days, common sense eludes many. In a mural, a property owner commissions someone to put on his property something of his choosing. With graffiti, a criminal vandalizes someone else’s property (or public property) without permission.