Best Murals in Memphis

Murals in Memphis: Why Street Art Lovers Flock to West Tennessee

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Nashville may get a lot of buzz for its mural scene, but don’t let that stop you from looking toward the state’s biggest city, Memphis, for your next street art vacation. Because as much time as I’ve spent in West Tennessee over the course of my life—many of my close family members live in Germantown—I’ve discovered yet another thing to love about the Bluff City: the boom of murals in Memphis.

Murals in Memphis

Yes, indeed, the street art movement is alive and well in Memphis

I’ve spent the last three visits over a course of 18 months canvassing the city for my favorite walls, and much as I did with street art in Nashville, I wanted to compile a map and corresponding list with artists for murals in Memphis by neighborhood.

There are, quite literally, hundreds of murals in Memphis of all size and theme, so bear in mind that this is just a small selection. And if a mural doesn’t have a name or artist attached, it’s because I haven’t been able to track down that information, so if you know it, please share in the comments.

Murals in Memphis: The Best Walls and Street Art

Downtown Memphis

Today, Downtown Memphis is alive and thriving, a stark contrast from when I spent a summer living in Memphis back in the late 90’s. If you’re staying in one of the downtown hotels—I recommend Hotel Indigo, Hilton Garden Inn or the Peabody, going strong for 150 years now—you can walk to all of the below murals. Or better yet? Hop a scooter and make it even easier for yourself!

Memphis Murals: Nelson Mandela

“A Note for Hope” mural, artists: Jeff Zimmermann

195 Madison (old S.C. Toof & Co. building); can be seen from the baseball park

Memphis Murals in Downtown Memphis

Murals in Memphis
Murals in Memphis

Memphis Murals in Downtown Memphis

Murals in Memphis
Murals in Memphis

Sterick murals, artist: Kyle Taylor, Brandon Donahue, Nosey42

Madison Ave and N B.B. King Blvd.

Murals in Memphis: Hotel Indigo

Murals in Memphis: Hotel Indigo
Murals in Memphis: Hotel Indigo

Memphis music history mural, artist: Nosey42

22 N B.B. King Blvd. (inside the garage of Hotel Indigo)

Memphis electrical boxes murals

Memphis electrical boxes murals
Memphis electrical boxes murals

South Main electrical boxes, artist: Birdcap (top), Nosey42, others

along South Main Street downtown

Birdcap x Ninjacat mural in downtown Memphis

Barboro Alley murals, artists: Ninjacat, Birdcap

99 S. Main St. (by Local Gastropub)

Day in the Life mural in Memphis
Day in the Life mural in Memphis

“Day in the Life” mural, artists: Jamond Bullock and Joseph Boyd

100 S. Main St. (by Aldo’s Pizza)

Downtown Memphis Mural by Flight of Fancy

“It’s Beautiful Where You Are” mural, artist: Joseph Boyd (Flight of Fancy Co.)

east side of South Main Street (on Barboro Alley)

Downtown Memphis murals
Downtown Memphis murals
Downtown Memphis murals

Barboro Alley murals, artists: unknown, Marcellous Lovelace (BLK75), AlivePaints

east side of South Main Street on Barboro Alley (near Belle Tavern)

The Sound of Memphis mural in downtown

“The Sound of Memphis” mural, artists: Damon Lamarreed and Pugs Atomz

100 S.Main St. (across from Aldo’s Pizza)

Murals in downtown Memphis

Downtown Memphis murals
Downtown Memphis murals
Downtown Memphis murals

Murals in downtown Memphis

Murals in downtown Memphis

Car murals, artists: Birdcap, Anthony Lee and Kiersten Williams

639 Marshall Ave. (small murals on garage doors all around Marshall Arts)

Murals in downtown Memphis

Otis Redding mural (left), artist: unknown

“St. Blues” mural, artist: Nosey42

655 and 645 Marshall Ave. (parking lot next to Saint Blues Guitar Workshop)

Murals in Memphis
Murals in Memphis

Geometrics mural, artist: NJ Woods

237 Vance Ave. (on the side of Pullman’s Barber Shop)

Beale Street Landing mural

Color block walls, artist: unknown

251 Riverside Dr. at Beale Street Landing

South Main

South Main is due south of downtown, right along the trolley line, and it’s one of Memphis’ more artsy districts. It’s very walkable and houses some of the city’s iconic sites and restaurants, like the National Civil Rights Museum, Central BBQ and the Arcade.

History of Civil Rights mural in Memphis

History of Civil Rights mural, artist: Birdcap

 the corner of MLK and South Main streets

Jay mural in Memphis

“Jay” mural, artist: Lance Turner

 on Vance Avenue and South Main Street

W.C. Handy mural in Memphis

W.C. Handy mural, artist: Kyle Taylor

under the South Main overpass

I Am a Man mural in Memphis

“Upstanders” mural, artists: Nelson Gutierrez and Cedar Nordbye

115 Huling Ave. (at the National Civil Rights Museum)

I Am a Man Mural in Memphis

“I Am a Man” mural, artist: Marcellous Lovelace (BLK75)

398 S Main St. (close to the National Civil Rights Museum)

Murals in Memphis
Lorraine Motel mural in Memphiss
Orpheum mural in Memphis
Historic mural in Memphis
Chisca mural in Memphis

Historic Memphis scenes, artists: unknown

Florida Street beneath the underpass (close to Loflin Yard)

Soulsville

Soulsville, USA is home to the historic Stax Museum and now boasts a charter school, recording academy and more.

Soulsville USA in Memphis

“I Love Soulsville” mural, artists: the Soulsville Neighborhood Association (SNA)

E. McLemore Avenue & Mississippi Boulevard

Mural in Memphis Rox
Mural in Memphis Rox

MLK mural in Memphis Rox

MLK mural, artist: Ella Pena

879 E McLemore Ave. (inside Memphis Rox)

Piano mural in Memphis

“I Love Memphis” mural, artists: Whitney Kerr and Jeanynne Lewis

across the street from the Stax Museum on McLemore Ave.

Martin Luther King Avenue

This stretch of Doctor M.L.K. Jr Avenue had murals for days. Park where you can and get out and walk around to see all the beautiful paintings by artists like Mobe, Folek, Sarah Painter, Cosby Hayes and Zulu. I wish I knew all the artists who did these, but honestly, there were dozens and it was hard to keep track! Keep walking, go under the rail tracks and around the corner, and you’ll find mural after mural after mural after mural…

Murals in Memphis

Murals in Memphis
Murals in Memphis

Murals in Memphis

Murals in Memphis
Murals in Memphis
Murals in Memphis

Murals in Memphis

Murals in Memphis
Murals in Memphis
Murals in Memphis
Murals in Memphis
Murals in Memphis

MLK Jr. Avenue murals, artists: Mobe, Folek, Dustin Spagnola, Zulu Painter, Beth Warmath, Grafilthy, etc.

711 MLK Jr. Ave. (all around the block and under the overpass)

Rosa Parks mural in Memphis by Sarah Painter and Cosby Hayes

Civil Rights mural, artists: Sarah Painter and Cosby Hayes

711 MLK Jr. Ave.

Crosstown Concourse

Crosstown Concourse has quickly become my favorite part of Memphis with its mixed-use buildings spanning residences, offices, restaurants, retail and so much art. There’s a rotating mural out front that has been different every time we’ve visited (see directly below), as well as plenty of walls painted within the buildings themselves, which are open to the public.

Crosstown Arts mural in Memphis

Murals in Memphis: Crosstown Concourse

Murals in Memphis: Crosstown Concourse

Crosstown Concourse murals, artists: Detour, for Moonpie Project (middle); Snap On! by Birdcap and Richt (bottom)

1350 Concourse Ave.

I Love Memphis mural in Crosstown

Heart Bridge Crosstown mural, artists: Kong Wee Pang and Jay Crum

419 N. Watkins Street

Broad Avenue Arts District

Undoubtedly, the most artsy neighborhood in town, Broad Avenue is becoming hipper every time we come back for a visit. It’s where our friends at Wiseacre Brewing are based, as well as numerous restaurants and indie shops. It’s also right off the B-line.

Broad Avenue murals in Memphis
Broad Avenue murals in Memphis

Broad Avenue murals in Memphis

Broad Avenue murals in Memphis
Broad Avenue murals in Memphis

“This Is We” mural, artist: Guillaume Alby

2542 Broad Ave.

Broad Avenue Arts District mural in Memphis

Broad Avenue water tower mural in Memphis
Broad Avenue water tower mural in Memphis

Broad Avenue water tower mural, artist: Youngblood Studios

2532 Broad Ave.

Best Murals in Memphis

“Broad Forest” mural, artist: Qwynto

2481 Broad Ave.

Overton Square

Overton Square is close to Overton Park, the Memphis Zoo and the Brooks Museum of Art. It’s also a highly-walkable area with some great places to eat and shop—with several murals hidden among the alleyways.

Overton Square murals

Overton Square murals
Overton Square murals

Overton Square mural

Overton Square mural, artist: David Lynch

(on the side of Bari Ristorante)

Cooper-Young

Cooper-Young has long been one my favorite neighborhoods in town, and even more so with the addition of such concepts as Railgarten. It’s a pretty small and walkable neighborhood, with the intersection of Cooper and Young being the epicenter, but you’ll see new art popping up in the surrounding arteries on the regular.

Memphis train mural

“Time Tables” train mural, artists: Bishop, Slade, Kerr, Whitney, Hunter, Chase & DiNolfo, Anthony

Central Avenue

Nosey42 Mural in Memphis
Nosey42 Mural in Memphis

Nosey42 Mural in Memphis

Central Exchange mural, artist: Nosey42

2169 Central Ave. (Central Exchange Parking lot by Palladio Antiques)

Pavo drippy mural in Memphis

Drippy mural, artist: Nosey42

2157 Central Ave. (side of Pavo Salon)

Sunglasses mural in Memphis

“Forming Function” sunglasses mural, artist: Kyle Taylor

242 Cooper St. (the side of Eclectic Eye)

Otherlands mural in Memphis

“I Am the Cosmos” mural in Memphis, artist: Kyle Taylor

(on the side of Otherlands Coffee Bar)

 "I Love Memphis" mural, artist: Brandon Marshall

 “I Love Memphis” mural, artist: Nosey42

corner of Cooper and York streets

I Love Memphis mural

“I Love Memphis” mural, artist: Justin Jabbour

2162 Courtland Pl. (on InsideOut Gym)

Cooper-Young murals in Memphis

Fingers mural, artist: Frances Berry

Young Avenue (in a parking lot across from Goner Records)

Mural on De Neuville Learning Center

Hope mural, artist: Valerie Arenda and De Neuville Learning Center

190 Cooper St. (side of De Neuville Learning Center)

Women with Wolves mural in Memphis Women with Wolves mural in Memphis

Woman with Wolves mural, artist: Kevin Hutchins (Chasing Wolf)

1384 Madison St.

Altown Skate Park

This old skate park on Lamar Avenue has myriad murals, both on a retaining wall, but also down on the ramps itself.

Altown Skate Park murals in Memphis
Altown Skate Park murals in Memphis

Altown Skate Park murals in Memphis

Altown Skate Park murals in Memphis
Altown Skate Park murals in Memphis

Altown Skate Park murals in Memphis

Altown Skate Park murals in Memphis
Altown Skate Park murals in Memphis
Altown Skate Park murals in Memphis

Altown Skate Park murals in Memphis

Altown Skate Park murals in Memphis
Altown Skate Park murals in Memphis

Altown Skatepark murals, artists: Kyle Taylor, Nosey42, Chris Veal

Lamar Avenue between S. Willett and Roland streets

Orange Mound

A historically black neighborhood, there’s a lot of interesting art happening in Orange Mound thanks to groups of creatives like The Collective, who opened The Complex (CMPLX) to elevate black artists and empower the communities. While there, we peeked around the side of the building and saw this amazing collage of a wall.

Memphis Murals in Orange Mound

Memphis Murals in Orange Mound
Memphis Murals in Orange Mound

Orange Mound murals, artists: Alive Paint, Siphne A. Sylve

2234 Lamar Ave.

East Memphis

East Memphis is a long sprawl along Poplar Avenue that eventually reaches Germantown and Collierville, which also has a mural on its historic square. This was the only East Memphis mural we could track down.

Greetings from Memphis mural by Nosey42

“Greetings from Memphis” mural, artist: Nosey42

5259 Poplar Ave. (on the side of Corky’s Ribs & BBQ)

**********

Did we leave out any major murals in Memphis? Leave a description, location or artist name in the comments, and we’ll do our best to track them down!

Rosa Parks mural in Memphis by Sarah Painter and Cosby Hayes

Looking for more Memphis travel tips? I’ve got a few:


 

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Best Murals in Memphis
Best Murals in Memphis
Best Murals in Memphis
COMMENTS
  • June 6, 2019
    Kim

    Just FYI….that’s not Rosa Parks in the Sarah Painter/Colby Hayes piece.

    • June 10, 2019

      Thanks! In my head I call it the “Rosa Parks” mural because of the buses. I don’t know what else to refer to it as, so I’ll just change it to “Bus mural” since I haven’t found a name for it.

  • June 10, 2019
    Ryan Goble

    The Geometric mural is by NJ Woods. Thanks for putting this together.

    • June 10, 2019

      Updated! Thank you for the help in filling out the rest of the mural credits.

  • June 11, 2019

    Wonderful! I am so proud to have been able to paint along side some of these artists on MLK during Paint Memphis. May I ask where the pink checkered mural is located?

    • June 11, 2019

      How awesome! If you ever want to paint in Coffee County, hit us up.

      It’s near the Sam Phillips Recording Studio over kind of close to the ones around Marshall Arts, if I remember correctly. No signature, so no idea who did it!

  • June 11, 2019
    Tasha

    Just curious where the geometric diamonds are located? Those are so cool!

    • June 11, 2019

      On Madison right near the Sam Phillips Recording Studio! Just stumbled upon it randomly. No name or signature, so not sure if it was just meant to be a decorative wall or what. Love it, though!

      • July 1, 2019
        Tasha

        Thanks so much!

  • June 16, 2019

    Wow! I can´t believe I´ve never heard of the Murals in Memphis! I´m in awe – what a beautiful street art! So true that people mostly talk about Nashville! Thanks for the inspiration, also shared on mix&flipboard

    • July 15, 2019

      Thanks, Anna! Nashville has some awesome art, but I love Memphis as much as (if not more than) I do Nashville!

  • July 29, 2019

    I really enjoyed your tour of the Memphis murals! And I saw that you had a lime scooter to too. Some of my favourite things to do include zooming around on lime scooters and finding street art wall murals! 🤣
    Thanks for sharing.

  • July 30, 2019

    Missing mural on Willett, “Walking in Memphis.” Artists Ginny Togrye, Stephen Watkins and Olasubomi aka-bashorun.

  • August 21, 2019

    Great article! Thanks for taking all the time to do this. And if you know any artists who are looking for a huge canvas send them my way. My company has a building that backs up to Sam Cooper (and faces Broad Ave near Tillman) that we would love to have a mural on.

  • August 29, 2019
    Daniel

    Love it! I’m huge fan of street art. I think it makes a city feel unique and colorful. I recently visited Melbourne in Australia and there is a cool street art scene there too.

  • December 11, 2019
    Josh Campbell

    Jason Erwin is the artist who painted the flowergirls on MLK and the cowboy on the ramp at Altown.

  • February 6, 2020
    Irene Rojas

    There’s also one on the other side of the building of Fingers mural, artist: Frances Berry
    Young Avenue (in a parking lot across from Goner Records).

    Also more that I have found:

    (U of M) behind McDonald’s on highland/southern

    (Tiger eyes) Wall of Burgerim

    Adjacent wall to Central BBQ Central ave location.

    “Security” -Tremble Pl/ Cooper ave

    Girl portrait “Midtown” – Salon wall Madison/McLean

    “Dreams matter” Park Ave wall of Red zone ministries

    Also one across the street from red zone ministries- abstract art

    “With love from Memphis ” – Beale St.

    Adjacent wall of Corky’s BBQ Poplar location

    • February 7, 2020

      This is excellent, Irene! Thanks so much. I’m in Memphis next month for work and will definitely track some of these down.

      • May 19, 2021
        Bri

        Where is the pink and red squares mural located?

  • August 4, 2020
    Shane

    Loooooong row of murals on the old floodwall along Chelsea in North Memphis

    • August 4, 2020

      Excellent. Will it be easy to find? We’ve been shooting new street art every time we’re in Memphis in hopes of updating this post eventually, but there’s just so much of it, and it’s all spread out!

      • August 4, 2020
        Shane

        Yes very easy to find. Head north on Evergreen, turn left on Chelsea…starts there.

        • August 4, 2020

          Nice! Thanks for the turn-by-turn, Shane. We’ll be back for the holidays and I’ll seek them out!

  • September 1, 2020
    Henry Nelson

    Kristin, I’m curious. What is the rationale to spotlighting all of these delightful Memphis murals, neighborhoods, and not include the 13 murals in Binghamton that were painted by one group of youth who live there. They began painting these murals in 2014 and the most recent one was finished in 2019.

    • September 1, 2020

      Thanks for letting me know about another 13 murals I’m just now learning about! I actually shot an additional 20 or so on my last two visits there to update this post, but this is the first I’m hearing of Binghamton. Can you point me in the right direction of where to map myself on my next trip?

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