Walk East 11th from I-35 to Chicon and you'll pass at least a dozen murals. Most tourists snap them, post them, and move on. The story behind them — who painted them, who paid for them, who's missing — is the actual neighborhood.
The walking tour
- 01
Start: Six Square HQ (1152 San Bernard)
The 'Black Lives Matter' mural by Chris Rogers, painted in 2020 and restored in 2024.
- 02
11th & Branch — 'Forever East' by Niz
A 60-foot tribute to the families displaced from the East Side.
- 03
Victory Grill (1104 E 11th)
Original signage from the 1945 Chitlin' Circuit days, restored 2019.
- 04
12th & Chicon — 'Mama' by Lucia Pizzani
Commissioned by the Carver Museum, painted on a former laundromat.
- 05
End: George Washington Carver Museum
The free permanent exhibit is the best history lesson in the city.
"Murals are how we keep the neighborhood's memory above ground when the buildings keep coming down."
— Chris Rogers, muralist
The whole walk takes about 90 minutes if you stop to read everything. Do it early — by noon the sun on the south-facing walls makes photos impossible.
Written by
Aaliyah Brooks
Published May 3, 2026 in Culture
