On Monday, May 3rd, Uptown Dallas Inc. unveiled their May mural in West Village at 3700 McKinney Avenue. UDI commissioned local fine art artist Christopher Babb to complete May’s mural which is a beautifully detailed piece celebrating Cinco de Mayo.
“For this project, it was an opportunity to create a piece that recognizes Mexican culture through images that have become instantly recognizable symbols within the Mexican and Mexican-American community,” said Christopher Babb. “Frida is one of the most famous heroes of not only Mexican art history, but is an artist studied in all cultures for her contributions.”
The sugar skull is an ode to the colorful nature of Mexican art and alludes to other celebrated holidays. The mariachi is a fundamental element of Mexican music tradition, spanning back to the 18th century.
“What started as beautiful backdrops to take photos with has now taken shape to interacting and communicating with the community and now into culture and education,” said Anita Simmons, Director of Marketing for Uptown Dallas Inc. “There’s nothing art can’t do, and it has been beautiful to watch these transformations come to life through the creative minds of diverse and talented artists like Chris.”
May’s mural was created over two weeks and took the artist more than 40 hours of hands-on time.
“As a native Texan, exposure to Mexican art and culture has always been present in my life,” stated Babb. “This was a fun, colorful and detailed project- it was certainly a labor of love.”
Debuting a new mural each month since last November, Uptown Dallas Inc.’s Art Wall Project continues to be a consistent visual treat for the community.
