“In these two panels, a collaboration by R.R. Anderson and Morgan Alexander, the viewer is looking through the window of an Italian restaurant where cartoon characters are enjoying large plates of spaghetti and meatballs. They have been mounted on the former sausage factory next to Vallhalla Hall in the 1200 block of MLK Jr. Way since the “Music and Murals” event in September of 2007.
Alexander was the founder of Tacoma Works and in 2006 he organized the community “Hilltop Storefront Murals Project” during which artists and community members created murals for several vacant buildings on MLK. Alexander’s inspiration for the project was based on a similar project in Columbia City. The murals created a vision of what the boarded up buildings could become and some of those visions have come, or are coming, true.
The Storefront Murals Project was one of community building through art. Alexander’s call for artists was answered by practicing and aspiring artists alike who donated their time and talent. Paint and materials were donated by businesses and organizations and volunteers showed up for a myriad of other tasks. Experienced artists coached the beginners and folks stopped by the workshop for a period of time, or just an hour or two. Orzio says “we shared paints and brushes – it all flowed wonderfully.” For a culminating event on September 8, 2007, the Martin Luther King Housing Development Authority revived the Music and Murals festival which had been on hiatus for three years.”
– Jo Davies
Learn more about R.R.’s work at www.holisticforgeworks.com
In collaboration with Morgan Alexander and Hilltop Storefront Murals.
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