FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe Ellis
Email: joe@joeellisart.com
Instagram: @joeellis.art
Midwestern Grandmasters and Assassins of the Letter
Twin Cities Illest / Train Champs Inc.
A Landmark Graffiti Production Honoring the Midwest's Most Influential Contemporary Painters
Presented by Joe Ellis Art & Modern Day Me
July 11–13, 2025 • 9th & Hennepin, Downtown Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — This July, the heart of downtown becomes the site of a major public art event honoring the originators and innovators of graffiti in the Upper Midwest. Twin Cities Illest / Train Champs Inc. is a landmark mural project presented by Joe Ellis Art and Modern Day Me, bringing together legendary writers from the TCI crew—one of the region’s most influential forces in painting history.
Founded in 1993 by INTEL and HYBRID in Madison, Wisconsin, TCI (Train Champs Inc.) became synonymous with high-level freight train painting. Their arrival in the Twin Cities paralleled the rise of the AKB crew, founded by artists including EMER (Chaka Mkali), EROS, and LOGIC. When these two forces connected, they created something rare: a regional school of painting rooted in mutual respect, stylistic discipline, and generational lineage.
“This isn’t nostalgia,” says Joe Ellis. “This is a declaration. These are living artists who have shaped the city’s visual language for decades. And they’re still painting—still evolving.”
Painted live over three days at 9th & Hennepin, the mural is more than a public artwork—it’s a tribute to a movement, a moment, and a man. HYBRID, co-founder of TCI, passed away earlier this year. His name will be painted with intention, surrounded by the very crew he helped build.
Participating Artists
EMER, TRUE54, TEACH, SIPS, INTEL, SHOWBIZ, RIVER, STALK, WALDO, EVAIL & TREM
Special Tribute to HYBRID (1969–2025)
Schedule of Events
Friday, July 11 – Wall Prep & First Marks
Buffing begins. Artist’s sketch and start layering the background. Open to the public.
Saturday, July 12 – Live Mural Painting (12–7 PM)
Spray cans in motion. Artists at work. Witness the mural come to life in real time.
Sunday, July 13 – Final Touches & Open Viewing (12–4 PM)
Final layers, documentation, and informal community gathering. Public welcome.
Why It Matters
This project affirms graffiti as a serious form of contemporary painting—complex, evolving, and deeply embedded in the creative DNA of Minneapolis and St. Paul. These are not anonymous tags or ephemeral trends. This is a living tradition—a visual language forged in the rail yards, refined in the streets, and carried forward by generations.
This is not decoration. It’s not vandalism. It’s not past tense. It’s present tense.
And it’s the artists at the core—evolving right now.
