RE*Cov*Er Deep Ellum Mural Finalists Announced!

re •cov •er v. 1. to take back again into one’s hands or possession 2. to regain possession of something lost or taken away 3. to regain by conquest or main force 4. to win back ground lost in fighting 5. to regain some non-material thing which may be spoken of as lost or taken away 6. to find again 7. to come upon a second time 8. to reclaim. Theme: Re-cover speaks both to the recent history of the tunnel and how artists might be approached in the design submissions.

Deep Ellum has always prided itself on being an artist community and a collaborative environment. In reclaiming it’s artistic roots, there must exist a strong sense of community and a respect for private property and original works of art. Community leaders and neighborhood activists developed the idea for the mural series competition to assist in attracting artists from the surrounding metro-plex area and engage them in the Deep Ellum community. This competition seeks to regain possession of original works of art which have physically been removed and to recognize the artistic contribution of artists whose original art we have lost in the process of the destruction of tunnel.

The Deep Ellum Association announces The finalists for the Re* Cov*Er mural which is currently on exhibition at Life In Deep Ellum at 2830 Taylor Street in the Mokah Gallery through October 6th, 2007. We’d like to thank and congratulate all the artists and students who submitted an entry for the competition.

The selected muralists include: Janet Antich, Jason Barnett, Ronnie Bates, Brian Crawford, Jim Cox, Jennifer D. Curtiss, Issac Davies, Josh Davies, Sergio Garcia, Robert Hamilton, David Lyles, Kayla Escobedo, Mitchell Nickell, Gilbert Oranday, Clint Ray and Tyson Summers. Expect to see murals of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Leadbelly, John Lee Hooker, Norah Jones, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Dimebag, Hash Brown, Carter Albrecht, the New Bohemians, Gibby Haynes and more going up on Elm St.on the exterior walls of area businesses.

Each artist will be given $50.00 for material expenses and one week to paint the Deep Ellum legendary musician of their choice. Execution of these murals will begin on Saturday, October 6th and painted whenever each artist works this in to their own schedule. All works will be completed no later than Saturday, October 13th at 5:00pm. At this time
they will be evaluated by up to ten celebrity judges and the winners will be announced no later than 7:00pm.

First prize $1,000.00
Second will take home $500.00
Peoples choice will win $250.00.

Best of Luck to All! We look forward to seeing their work original works of art in the Deep Ellum Neighborhood. All works will be painted on Elm St. reminding the public of the areas rich heritage of talent, both musically and visually. All finalist layouts are now on display at Live at Mokah, 2803 Taylor St. @ Malcolm X.

We also wish to thank all the other muralist who submitted and entry. You will automatically be under consideration for phase 2 of this project in March 2008. Special thanks to the Deep Ellum Foundation, Life in Deep Ellum and Deep Ellum Association board members, Frank Campagna, Mark Roberts, Sean Fitzgerald, Jerleigh Thompson and Tanner Hockensmith for their invaluable contribution and support of this project.