New Mural Slowing Traffic, Turning Heads in Downtown Birmingham
Birmingham – A newly installed mural in downtown Birmingham is causing passersby to stop and stare, slowing the usual hustling traffic adjacent to the city’s Civil Rights District. Pharmacist Delmous Vance III, who owns the building, says he’s noticed a marked increase in traffic along Fifth Avenue North, where it’s on display.
The ‘Radical Seeds’
Titled “Radical Seeds”, the mural graces the façade of the historic Citizens Express Pharmacy building and is a creative powerhouse, complete with five figures — spanning various age groups — exuding and sharing a sense of love and unity.
For Vance, the mural is more than just a piece of public art. “The mural is a reflection of this community’s history — its past, present, and future. It is legacy personified,” he said. A car parked nearby and its occupants got out to take a closer look as Vance remarked, “Everybody’s loving it.”
Legacy Mural for Legacy Building
Interesting to note, this legacy is rooted in the entrepreneur, A.G. Gaston, who originally owned the Citizens Express Pharmacy building. As an African American living in the early 20th century, Gaston had carved out an impressive business portfolio, including a bank, insurance company, motel, funeral home, and drug store, all despite being born in abject poverty.
Delmous Vance Jr., the father of the current owner, bought the pharmacy operation from Gaston in 1970 after working there as a pharmacist. Following his father’s passing in 1996, Vance III took over the business, affirming the mural as a testament to the enduring legacy of the pharmacy and the community it serves.
More Than Just a Mural
New Orleans artist Langston Austin, the creative genius behind the mural, was commissioned by non-profit organization Taproot Earth. Based in Slidell, La., Taproot Earth seeks to support communities from the Gulf to Appalachia affected by climate change. The organization wanted a mural depicting love, power, and abundance, and Austin duly delivered.
“The mural is about individuals caring for one another, nurturing their community and ensuring a healthier, more sustainable tomorrow,” said Austin. “My work emphasizes empathy, and I’m thrilled to see it resonating so well with this community.”
Vance was quick to agree to lend his building as a canvas for the artwork. “The mural brings the community together and invests in a shared future. This is what we need right here in downtown Birmingham,” he explained.
Austin’s mural is not merely a striking visual piece, but an expressive and empowering creation reminding everyone of the radical seeds of unity and compassion required for formidable community growth.
