Big 9 Legends Mural

The "Big 9 Legends" mural was created as a tribute to thirteen regionally and nationally renowned blues and jazz musicians to play in night clubs and bars on 9th Street (the Big 9), the center of a once thriving African American neighborhood and a national hub of blues and jazz music in the post WWII era until the 1960's.

 The mural was created by teens in foster care from the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults and Children's Home/Chambliss Shelter and facilitated by local visual artists Frances McDonald and Judy Mogul from Mark Making. During the six week program, teens learned history, discussed their role in neighborhood beatification and the importance of documenting its past. After careful study of the art and person of Romare Bearden, the teens used his style to create collages with drawings and photos of each musician. These portraits were then composed in a club scene typical of what you would see during the heyday of the Big Nine.