Queers Against…

Last weekend, to coincide with the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Defence of Marriage Act, a large number of posters were wheat pasted up on Manchester Avenue in The Grove.  The common theme was “Queers against…”

No Pride in A$$imilation

I’m not going to offer any commentary here, and have no idea if this is the work of one person or an organization, but I will share a few photos:

Not Gay as in Happy, but Queer as in F*** the STLPD

No Pride in A$$imilation

Here’s a better shot of “Queers Against (haiku edition)”:

Queers Against… Monsanto, the HRC, the STLPD, the Military, Marriage and Pride, INC

Queers Against Society

Queers against

Pro-Fabulous Anti-Capitalist

Despite the postering campaign, life in Forest Park Southeast continued on as usual.

Dude and his Dog in front of N&M

The Grove

Scooter Rider on Manchester Avenue

Owner Endorsed Free Speech – Booze and Guns

STLPD ATV in FPSE

Metrolink Bridge over Vandeventer appears to be designed for Murals

As I have previously written, The Grove (also known as Forest Park Southeast) is home to a growing number of murals that really make a big impact on the perceptions of a visitor to the neighborhood.  Although The Grove has a wonderful start, its collection of murals is still quite small, at least in comparison to the large number of blank walls facing Manchester (and other side streets in the neighborhood).  With the addition of the neon sign at Manchester and Sarah, The Grove is becoming more and more of an attractive place, and I am convinced that this investment will pay off.

New Neon "Welcome to The Grove" Sign

A great way to add to this momentum is with more murals, and what better place to start but at more of the neighborhood’s “thresholds.”  With neighbors like Barnes Jewish, Wash U Med School and St. Louis University, those points of entry that are visible to these significant populations hold lots of potential.  As a SLU student I would often hike over to the Phillips 66 on Vandeventer for their competitively priced tall cans of Budweiser, but was totally unaware of The Grove’s existence just a couple of short blocks away.  In addition, I felt that the dismal walk from Campus was only barely worth the cheap beer.

Now, the Rail Bridge over Vandeventer just south of Highway 40 has been rebuilt, and it has indented arches along both sides of the roadway, and in the support that splits the opposing lanes of traffic.

Train Bridge over Vandeventer – Doesn’t it seem to be asking for Murals?

These spaces seem to be designed for murals, and I really hope that whoever is responsible for this bridge (Metro?) is open to the idea.  I truly believe that SLU students would be more willing to walk to attractions in the Grove if the walk itself were more attractive.  Right now, passing underneath the highway and train tracks is the scariest part of the trip.  Bright and Colorful Murals underneath one of the bridges could not only make the walk more enjoyable right away, they could also encourage the addition of even more artwork to the area, maintaining the momentum that has been building here for several years now.

For more on the Grove’s Murals, see MUMC.Wordpress.com.

Murals in The Grove

In the past couple of months the Grove has hosted two street celebrations that contributed murals to the view from Manchester.  The most recent one is pretty cool.

New Mural in The Grove - Pays Homage to another nearby Mural of a Dragon

Even better, these two new murals (one of which is an Ad for PBR) aren’t the only ones in the neighborhood.

Window Washer Mural on Manchester

In fact, The Grove was already home to some of the coolest murals in the city.

Boombox Painting by Peat Wollaeger

The painting above features Peat’s trademark eyeball and is an appropriate accompaniment to The Atomic Cowboy.  Even the local Post Office sports a mural.

Mural on the Post Office in The Grove

Along Manchester there are several more murals than the ones I have shown above and an excellent collection of Ghost Signs (which also exist both North and South of Manchester throughout the neighborhood).

Ghost Sign and Recent Paint

I would personally love to see some of the Ghost Signs restored to accompany the growing arsenal of Murals.  In St. Louis, a city with far more than its fair share of abandoned buildings and blank walls, we need more than just a couple of areas to embrace murals as a way of improving a neighborhood with minimal monetary investment.  The Grove is setting a great example.

More about this year’s mural can be found at St. Louis Core dot Com.