Urban Canvas

Where some see an old garage or warehouse others see a blank canvas.

In the Bywater section of New Orleans, a short walk to the east bank of the Mississippi River, several blocks are occupied by huge commercial buildings that in some cases tower over neighboring homes built in shotgun shack style.

Many of these large buildings, and some of the smaller ones, are painted with both simple graffiti and elaborate murals that reflect the challenges and hope of life here.

New Orleans has always been a multi-ethnic city and the street art gestures towards far-away places like Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe, and the social struggles of the American south.