When a mural at 2413 Martin Luther King Jr. Way was unveiled on Oct. 16, it marked the end of several months of planning and painting for Jeremy Gregory and the team of artists he directed. It is also a step by the city government in a larger effort to deter graffiti around Tacoma.

The mural was designed and created by Upper Tacoma Business Association, local residents and artists. It playfully illustrates aspects of Hilltop’s past, present and future. Among those at the ribbon-cutting ceremony was Pastor Ivory Crittenden and Morris McCollum, better known as Mr. Mac, owner of the clothing store that bears his nickname. Both of the respected community leaders are depicted on the mural. 

This mural is one of eight organized through the city’s Safe and Clean Initiative, which aims to reduce blight and crime through a variety of tactics. It is split into numerous teams, each focusing on a specific activity. This particular team is Graffiti Reduction Through Community Based Art. It has overseen mural projects in Fern Hill, Lincoln District, Stadium District, two in South Tacoma and two on the East Side.

Amy McBride, arts administrator for the city, said the effort began with a request for proposals from artists. Then a training program was held this past summer. Lead artists were selected for each mural, with college students and local youth assigned to teams to assist and develop their creativity.

She explained that the places chosen for murals have been targets for vandalism and graffiti. Some are owned by a government agency. A retaining wall at East 38^th Street and Portland Avenue is city property, while a wall along South ‘M’ Street is owned by the state Department of Transportation. Others are owned by businesses that offered a wall for the effort.

“In some cases we had to find the worst-hit spots,” McBride remarked.

Many of the murals have been completed. None have been tagged with graffiti yet. McBride said a special coating will be applied that will protect from graffiti.

Gregory was the lead artist on the Hilltop mural. He was talking to McBride on another topic when she told him about plans for the mural project. She encouraged him to apply.

After he was selected, he went to the training session at Portland Avenue Community Center. Artists did some work around the bathrooms in the facility to get some practice. The groups were formed and city staff assigned them locations.

Gregory has been drawing all his life. He attended Art Institute of Seattle, where he earned a degree in graphic design. While in school one of his teachers got him involved in a project in Seattle that create murals. That program involved youth who had committed minor criminal offenses, getting them to participate in a positive activity. Many had been arrested for spray-painting walls and buildings, Gregory noted.  

Residents of the selected neighborhoods were invited to a meeting this summer. The only one from Hilltop who showed was Eric Crittenden, son of the pastor. The family donated a wall on a building it owns.

Gregory said this mural depicts older people passing along their wisdom and values to the younger generation. The older people are shown flying about on devices, dropping flowers to the children. “It depicts growing the community,” he remarked.

His team included Marlin Peterson, Laurine Chung, Jena Marks and Kate Cendejas.

The idea behind the project is that vandals will not tag a wall with a mural on it. Gregory feels this is true. “For the most part, taggers will not tag murals,” he said. “There are unwritten rules. If it is something you respect, you do not write on it.”

For a map of the mural sites, visit www.communitywalk.com/tacomamurals.

Contact the writer at jlarson@tacomaweekly.com.