Today, Oct. 18, is Deep Ellum History Day and the Deep Ellum Foundation’s Blues Alley will go into its second phase to celebrate the blues musicians who impacted Deep Ellum’s cultural district.
Blues Alley is a community muraling project sparked by the minds of Dan and Cathryn Colcer that features artwork from local artists. In this second phase, murals are featured from Dallas artists Frank Campagna, JD Moore and Desiree’ Vaniecia.
The Colcers partnered with the Deep Ellum Foundation for the community-led and artist-led project preserving the legacy of blues artists like T-Bone Walker, Henry Qualls and Willard Richardson along the walls of Clover Street.
“Blues artists were the pioneers of a new culture,” Dan said in a news release. “Now muralists and graphic artists are the pioneers.”
The Deep Ellum Foundation also received a $100,000 grant from the Texas Commission of the Arts that will go directly toward funding Blues Alley. It is the fourth largest grant given to Deep Ellum to improve the neighborhood.
The first phase of Blues alley ran from May 15 through May 31 with its first batch of blues artist tributes.
