For Super Bowl LIII, 30 fresh murals are being painted around Atlanta

Off The Wall exhibit will feature works highlighting the city’s civil rights legacy

By Sean Richard Keenan@ThatSeanKeenan Nov 28, 2018, 10:05am EST

A picture of an artist creating a mural — One of 30 murals going up around several neighborhoods near downtown.

Admirers of Atlanta’s street art scene (and history) have reason to be football fanatics right now.

In a little more than two months, Atlanta will host one of the largest sporting events in the world, the Super Bowl, and the city is busy gearing up for the torrent of tourists that’ll soon cram roadways, hotels, and, ultimately, the seats at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

While many are hustling to ensure Atlanta is logistically prepared for the onslaught, others are working hard to make sure the city’s artistic culture shines among all the football hubbub.

Enter local arts organization WonderRoot with a plan to do just that.

A partnership between WonderRoot and the Super Bowl Host Committee recently began creating a citywide art exhibit called Off The Wall: Atlanta’s Civil Rights and Social Justice Journey, which is bringing together 10 artists to paint 30 murals around downtown, Sweet Auburn, Vine City, English Avenue, and Castleberry Hill.

The initiative “seeks to elevate and amplify Atlanta’s role in past, present, and future of civil rights, human rights, and social justice movements,” according to WonderRoot’s website.

After the Big Game, each mural is expected to remain as a part of the city’s permanent public art collection. However permanent outdoor art can be, that is.

Take a peek below to see what some of the artists are cooking up.