LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some of the area's finest mural artists have put their finishing touches on a historic Louisville neighborhood.
The Imagine Mural Festival brings bright colors to a different neighborhood each year, and this time it was Smoketown.Â
Located just southeast of downtown Louisville, Smoketown is one of the first black-founded communities in the city, and about 1,600 people still call it home.Â
Louisville artist Liz Richter did her homework before coming up with the idea of a crazy quilt.
"This design actually has some Civil War quilting symbols hidden in it such as flying geese, which represents slaves moving north," Richter said. "And it was sort of a way to tie together Kentucky's heritage of quilting with the really unique African American heritage of this neighborhood."
IMAGES | Smoketown Murals
Artist Liz Richter puts the finishing touches on a mural in Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood.Â
A dozen murals now dot the landscape of Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood, from Broadway to Logan and Preston to Shelby Street.Â
A dozen murals now dot the landscape of Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood, from Broadway to Logan and Preston to Shelby Street.Â
A dozen murals now dot the landscape of Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood, from Broadway to Logan and Preston to Shelby Street.Â
A dozen murals now dot the landscape of Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood, from Broadway to Logan and Preston to Shelby Street. This one features a quote from heavyweight boxing champion Muhammd Ali.Â
A dozen murals now dot the landscape of Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood, from Broadway to Logan and Preston to Shelby Street. This one features an image of a young Muhammd Ali.Â
A dozen murals now dot the landscape of Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood, from Broadway to Logan and Preston to Shelby Street.Â
A dozen murals now dot the landscape of Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood, from Broadway to Logan and Preston to Shelby Street.Â
A dozen murals now dot the landscape of Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood, from Broadway to Logan and Preston to Shelby Street.Â
A dozen murals now dot the landscape of Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood, from Broadway to Logan and Preston to Shelby Street.Â
A dozen murals now dot the landscape of Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood, from Broadway to Logan and Preston to Shelby Street.Â
A dozen murals now dot the landscape of Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood, from Broadway to Logan and Preston to Shelby Street.Â
Pictured: an image of heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali on a mural. A dozen murals now dot the landscape of Smoketown, from Broadway to Logan and Preston to Shelby Street.
Richter spent a week brushing on the paint over an image sketched on the side of a building on South Shelby Street. She prefers brushing paint rather than using spray paint, because she said it holds up better over time.
The new look has people taking notice.
"We see a lot of people stop, jump out to get their pictures taken in front of the wall, which is funny," said Amber Garvey of Kertis Creative, which was glad to have Richter put her mark on the north wall of its building.
"Smoketown is fantastic," Richter said. "It has its own culture that should continue to be honored ... A lot of folks live here and enjoy being outside, and I think this goes a long way to bringing a lot of beauty to the neighborhood."
Artist Liz Richter puts the finishing touches on a mural in Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood.Â
Richter said passersby have given her work a big thumbs up, and feedback has been "nothing but positive. I can honestly say that it's been incredibly, overwhelmingly grateful that we’re here and putting this time and effort into their neighborhood."
A dozen murals now dot the landscape of Smoketown, from Broadway to Logan and Preston Streets to Shelby Street.
You can connect with the Fund for the Arts' mural festival by clicking here.Â
Copyright 2019 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.Â
