In 2020, something pretty awesome happened. Artists X3mex (also known as Ch3mex) and Eats, who had begun painting murals on the Seventh Street underpass near Thayer in 2016 as part of Arkansas Peace Week, went to work on a mural of George Floyd, a Black man who was murdered by a white cop in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

Matt White
SEVENTH STREET MURALS: The crowd from a June 5, 2020 education rally.

The art project not only flourished and grew, it became a centerpoint of civic protest and community gatherings in the years since. I live in the neighborhood, and often find myself interrupting groups and families taking photos against the backdrop of their favorite mural. Here are some scenes from Seventh on Spring, a day party there in April of 2021 — one of the first times I’d seen friends and neighbors out and about since the onset of the pandemic.

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Arkansas Peace Week will be holding such a festival this Sunday, Sept. 25 at 2487 W 7th Street between noon and 6 p.m., with art, food, music, children’s activities, and discussions with artist and activist groups. The event is supported by a partnership grant from the National Park Service (NPS), in partnership with Jefferson National Parks Association (JNPA) and the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. Here’s the full lineup:

Entertainment

  • Nick Devlin and Judd Martindale
  • Danza Matachines, traditional Mexican dance troop in costumes
  • DJ Swift
  • DJ IV

Food Trucks

  • Delicioso – Tamales
  • Dream Street Eats – Vegan

Artists

  • Dedicated Visual Art Studio
  • JATSO Designz .LLC
  • Judd Mann Art Glass
  • Krystal DeLani
  • Lauren Crosthwait/ Wolf of the Ozarks
  • Sulac Art Stuff

Non-Profits

Arkansas Coalition for Peace and Justice   

Arkansas Community Organizations

Arkansas Sierra Club       

Arkansas WAND   

Central Arkansas Democratic Socialists of America       

Central Arkansas Water

Compassion Works for All     

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Pax Christi Little Rock   

Pulaski County Democratic Women Who Decides Inc. 

For more information, contact Tanya Hollifield at 501-615-3276 or at tanyahollifield@gmail.com, or visit the Facebook event. For more about Arkansas Peace Week and its mission, visit their website.

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