“This was the wish-list wall. The writers who built my visual language, brought together to mark the beginning of Joe Ellis Art. More than a mural—this was a tribute to the roots.”
— Joe Ellis
In partnership with Joe Ellis Art, the LynLake Street Art Series collaboration began here—with a vision rooted in reverence. This first mural was the launch of the Joe Ellis Art Manifest: a full-circle moment, realized alongside graffiti writer STALK TCI, a collaborator and childhood friend. Together, they curated a lineup of artists who shaped Joe's early creative development. It was a wish-list wall. A personal pantheon.
From south to north, the mural featured:
MUCH HM — one of the most dedicated and respected painters in the tradition, holding the line with uncompromising precision.
STALK TCI — painter of negative space, architect of absence, longtime collaborator.
EWOK HM MSK — the Picasso of South Minneapolis. Untouchable then, untouchable now.
RIVER TCI — clean, hard lines that speak to Minneapolis’s style codes.
ESPO — the mythic addition. A legendary New York writer who appeared like fate, reportedly visiting the Purple Place with his family. Magic, no other word for it.
YEN34 HM SWS — the master blaster. So far ahead of his time, we’re still catching up.
What we did was honor the foundational voices of graffiti writing in Minneapolis by bringing together practitioners who are intrinsic to its evolution. Like it or not, these writers have inspired more local artists than all of our local museums combined.