Mural Will Come Down
Richmond BizSense has the story of the new mural painted on a Fan business that has brought criticism and demands for removal. The mural–entitled Recession 2009 and painted by Hamilton Glass–features a man in a business suit with a revolver cocked at his temple. It is depicted on the back of ALB Tech–a computer repair and website design shop at 1208 W. Main St.
Nearby Miller House Bed and Breakfast has demanded the mural come down by December 1. Rather than escalate the confrontation, ALB Tech owner, Adam Bell, will concede.
“In my opinion they have threatened us but don’t have any legal right to [make us] bring it down, but Adam wants to stand in good graces with the neighborhood and that’s fine. I’m behind him 100 percent,” Glass said.
For more on the mural, go here.
This town is a complete trip….. this piece of ART gets people riled up, but a STRIP CUB OWNER can all out right DISPRESPECT the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES. The Battles that RICHMOND picks just amazes me….. you slap art in face…. and you call yourselves the FAN.
I think this is over the top — a violent image that I wouldn’t want my kids to see. I’m a huge fan of artwork like the many great wall paintings that Ed Trask has done, but what separates this from something like Club Velvet is the violent image, a gun to his head.
I don’t think the Velvet poster exactly went unnoticed.. there was quite an outcry about it, but the owner is a d-bag and refused to take it down. I give kudos to Mr. Bell for respecting his neighboring businesses regardless of whether or not his mural should be an issue.
Richmond has a really bad case of reality aversion.
At least it is a legal mural, and not graffiti. Vandals have been busy in all parts of the City.
The edginess of this art is bound to bring attention to the business, and if that is the sole goal, then it has been a great success.
But I do question the taste of following Sam Moore’s shock advertising model by using an image of a suicide. I have known people who killed themselves this way. Their families suffered greatly.
See the Richmond elite want this city to be creative and artsy, but only the type of creative and artsy THEY like.
What does the Richmond elite have to do with this? This is just a neighborhood squabble and a small one at that.
I was surprised to see this choice of subject matter on the exterior of ALB Tech. While I’m a fan of their contribution to the community – a well-run small business, host of First Friday art and music shows – the mural was a big turn-off for me.
It makes me squirm to see such a high-profile celebration of violence in a community that suffers from gun-related deaths.
Sure, artists have a right to express themselves, but what exactly is this mural trying to say? Shooting yourself in the head is cool?
who painted the mural, was it Ed Trask?
opps it was hamilton glass, looked like one by Ed
Found the artist’s website
http://www.WhosHam.com
so if you just remove the gun and replace it with a banana, then this would become acceptable to be in public art..?
the definition of good art isn’t always…”.ohhh, it makes me feel so good and peaceful when I look at that art”
a little discomfort gets the thought processes going, the critical thinking skills moving.
It would be in better taste.
I personally like a lot of edgy art, but that does not mean I want to see suicide largely portrayed on a neighborhood corner.
If a political point was being made, maybe the man should be in uniform, given the suicide rate and Obama’s new Afghanistan surge- not that it would be in any better taste.
By the way, I am hardly one of Richmond’s ‘elite’. In fact, due to my criticism of Center Stage, I am mostly frowned upon by the local ‘elite’.
[...] much debated ‘offensive’ mural on the back of AlbTech has been replaced with [...]
If you don’t like it, don’t fucking look at it.
BTW- Nobody gives two shits what scott burger and his fucking dipshit wife think about anything. They are the laughing stock of Oregon Hill
It would be a shame if someone broke his precious solar panels wouldn’t it???
Look at all the discussion this public art has created! It’s great! Someone thinks it’s about suicide, another thinks it might be political, others don’t understand it at all, some like it, some don’t– people stretching their minds. I like it. But unfortunately, no one has thought to ask the artist his thoughts about his artwork or what his philosophy is behind it. Make art education mandatory in public education! We need it! Go out and create!
“Another great opportunity to do a Mural for Alb Tech in Richmond Va! Its such a rare thing that some one commissions you to express Yourself on there walls, and for that Im beyond Grateful to ALB Tech. This Mural might come across as sinister or evil but such is the depiction as this recession in my eyes. I wanted to do something that made people cringe and as well as reflect the realness of the current state of the world today. I think its pretty safe to say that 99.9% of people have felt this cloud of stress especially in these current times. You are not alone in these hard times.” From HAM’s website blog re: the mural in question. Internet is a wonderful thing.
Maybe this could be a site for Happy the Artist to memorialize Ukrops.
Happy the Artist Plans Ukrop’s Mural