Broward's 'Wynwood': The Downtown Hollywood Mural Project Is A Huge Success

Just like the way the "Wynwood Walls" helped to redevelop the Wynwood area of Miami with innovative Street Art as an Outdoor Museum to attract redevelopment. The Wynwood Walls has become an International phenomenon, spurring the creation of Murals throughout the Wynwood District. That area is now one of the best venues in the World to see the work of leading Street Artists and attracts over 3 million visitors each year.

About 20 miles north of Wynwood during your commute through the Downtown Hollywood area you may have noticed Murals popping up over the years on various facades and wonder about the inspiration for such creations. Just like Wynwood, Downtown Hollywood also has a Mural Tour with some great works to view. To learn more about these works you can take part in a guided Mural Walking Tour every third Saturday of the month. You'll spend a leisurely evening enriched by unique Art & Culture in Hollywood during the Walking Tour. So stroll through the streets of Downtown Hollywood on this guided tour and learn about this unique Project in the City of Hollywood. Leave with a greater impression and appreciation for Artists. Here are some of the Artists and their works you may have a chance to visit.

KEY DETAIL
1948 HARRISON STREET
Key Detail is a Belarusian Artist who works with painting, drawing and illustrations. He studied Architecture in Minsk, Belarus and currently lives and works in New York City. Growing up in Minsk, Key Detail has been active on the Street Art Scene since 2000 and has worked consistently towards developing his unique style and his skills on the streets. Today, Key Detail is one of the best Belarusian Artists who began his Art Career with Street Art and successfully continued it as an Internationally-Known Mural Artist. His Art is a balanced concentration of emotional reflections on reality transformed by the prism of surreal interpretation. Every one of his characters has charisma, an outstanding personality and lives in its own environment rich with elaborate details.

NATE DEE
307 SOUTH 21ST AVENUE
Born and raised in South Florida, Nathan Delinois (Nate Dee) has numerous influences, this includes his Haitian background and the use of color in a lot of Haitian Art, as well as in Street Art. The design quality of the Art Nouveau movement and the drama of Greek Art from the Hellenistic. These elements can be seen in his work. Additionally, he takes some influences from the Pop-Surrealists. He has been featured in Magazines such as: Delve, Making Waves, WeMerge, DUO & The Miami New Times. In 2014 The New Times listed him as one of the 10 Miami Artists to follow on Instagram. In 2013 he was also given an Honorable mention by the Magazine for their 2013 Miami Masterminds Awards. He’s been featured on multiple Blogs and has displayed his work in Exhibits throughout South Florida.

JOEL BLENZ
211 NORTH 21ST AVENUE
The 60-by-20-foot mural, which depicts a waving American Flag with a soldier proudly saluting, fittingly covers the main façade of the American Legion Post 92 building at 211 North 21st Avenue. The Artist, Joel Blenz, is a Navy Veteran. Blenz crafted the mural with wire, metal and paint to create a 3-D illusion of a real flag. “As a Navy Veteran, I think the idea of a realistic flag is symbolically powerful to show allegiance and strength for the United States,” said Blenz, a Queens, New York native who served as a Navy Aviation Technician for six years out of High School. A self-taught Artist, he began his Career close to 40 years ago and transitioned to studio work about 10 years ago. While Blenz has created 40 to 50 murals, the patriotic piece presented unique challenges because of the construction aspect, which required a staple gun and concrete staples to affix the wire and metal. “That’s what makes it fun,” he said, “It’s challenging. I’m taking my work to another level!”

ALICE MIZRACHI
2032 HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD
Alice Mizrachi is a New York based Interdisciplinary Artist and Educator working in the mediums of painting, murals and installation. Her work explores the interconnectedness of individuals and community through the dual lens of compassion and empathy. Through figurative work that reinforces both personal and community-oriented identity, Alice aims to inspire creative expression and a sense of shared humanity through Art. Alice's mural and installation work has been constructed in Galleries and as a part of site-specific Arts Education and Community Development Projects. Her work often engages local communities and reflects positive visual responses to social issues affecting neighborhood residents. Her process activates a shared space of love, hope, optimism and healing as a means to connect with participants. Frequent topics include the sacred feminine, identity and migration.

FABIO ONRACK
2050 HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD
Originally from Brazil, Fabio Onrack is a Fine Art Painter and Muralist with a passion for transforming urban spaces. Since completing his MFA in Visual Arts and Painting from the University of São Paulo, he has collaborated extensively with the Department of Education in Brazil, completing large-scale murals in over 40 schools throughout São Paulo. Fabio's work combines photorealistic portraiture with 3-dimensional effects and colorful geometric shapes. His introduction to painting came through a near death experience in his early teens and has given his work a subtle undertone of gratitude, peace and unity. Onrack's DHMP mural features realistic black-and-white portraits of renowned Artists Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Onrack's work reflects his artistic passion for painting people and places and his exploratory style of painting three-dimensional elements with expressive movement and emotion.

EDDIE MENDIETA & JAY BELLICCHI
2014 HARRISON STREET
Eddie Mendieta is a West Palm Beach based Artist who not only creates murals in the Tri-County area, but was also featured at the Super Bowl XLVI Indianapolis Mural Project. Also from South Florida, Jay Bellicchi has adorned canvases, walls and Fine Art pieces with his Artwork for more than 20 years. A creator of abstract reflections of urban decay and layered chaos juxtaposed with crisp lines and shapes, Jay's work is unplanned and a spontaneous process that is directly influenced by his mental and spiritual state. "Art is what you make of it. It's all about how you personally relate to a piece and what you take from it," explains Mendieta about their concept.

KENNY SCHARF
2019 HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD
The works of Internationally-Known, Los Angeles based Kenny Scharf consist of Pop-Culture Icons in a Science Fiction setting. He is best known for his work in the East Village, Manhattan Art Scene of the 1980’s before seeing his work embraced by Museums, with featured exhibits at the Monterrey Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami Center for the Fine Arts and Queens Museum of Art. Scharf also did the cover art for The B-52's 1986 Album Bouncing off the Satellites. "One very important and guiding principle to my work is to reach out beyond the elitist boundaries of Fine Art and connect to Popular Culture through my art." says Scharf.

ERNESTO MARANJE
1926 HARRISON STREET
Miami native Ernesto Maranje uses animal imagery to visualize and create his characters and narratives. He references myths, history and his own experiences. He notes that "many of my creatures resemble fish and birds, their actions may often be parallel to our own human behavior. I also use bird imagery because I am hopeful that our evolution will take us from land to the skies. Unfortunately, in this life we are confined to crawling on earth in two dimensions. However, in my imaginary universe I have freed us from these constraints using color and form to give us another identity." This is Maranje's largest mural to date and was created with Exterior Latex and Spray Paint.

These are just a few of the inspirations you can view along the monthly tour. This free Guided Tour lets you learn the stories behind the Art and the Artists of the Downtown Hollywood Mural Project. To be a part of the tour, meet at the Visitor Center’s Information Booth at 20th Avenue & Harrison Street in Downtown Hollywood, the third Saturday of the month. For more information about the next tour, please call: (954) 924-2980. Or visit: www.facebook.com/DowntownHollywoodMuralProject

Parking Information
Downtown Hollywood offers on-street metered parking for $1.50 per hour, as well as Municipal Garage Parking for $1 per hour. Municipal Garage Locations are: 251 South 20th Avenue (between Harrison Street and Van Buren Street) and 251 North 19th Avenue Municipal Garage (between Tyler Street & Polk Street).

The collection of Curated Outdoor Murals is presented by the CRA of Hollywood.