Introduction
Linguistic landscape research is a field of study that examines different forms of communicating and meaning making in public spaces. In addition to signage, sounds, smells, public art is also a significant way to study how a community makes meaning publicly. In the city of Atlanta, Georgia, city-sanctioned murals have recently become more popular, and thus present a linguistic landscape that provides a way to examine how artists in the city communicate through public paintings. One location that offers rich examples of public art are the murals on Wylie Street SE, Atlanta, Georgia. Along a half-mile stretch of the street, an organization called Forward Warrior has compiled a group of Atlanta artists to beautify the neighborhood annually. Each year, they come together for a festival to paint new murals along the street. These murals range in subject, color, and style, and they offer a yearly opportunity to examine the community through the lens of muralists.
There have been several semiotic landscape studies that have centered murals as the main subject of study. Linuwih, Harijanto, and Fadilah (2025) study the way that Chinese culture is displayed through two murals in a Chinatown called Kya-Kya, Surabaya in Indonesia. They found that these murals held messages that were “closely tied to the area’s history, culture, and norms” (p. 145). The authors describe these murals as “complex communication tools”, and stress the importance of art in conserving heritage. Wisniewska (2021) explores the many different meanings behind murals, mainly found in Mexico and Northern Ireland. In the modern day, murals take on economic, political, commemorative, commercial, and artistic motivations. The consistent feature of these murals is that they are most often “painted by members of the community for the community” (p. 434) and they are “a way to consolidate local identity” (p. 434). This aspect of murals is what I found most relevant for my research project.
The section of Wylie Street with street art is found in the neighborhood of Atlanta called Cabbagetown. Cabbagetown is a very close-knit neighborhood that actively engages in community events. As one of Atlanta’s oldest industrial settlements, it was home to the South’s first textile processing mill. The Mill was sold in 1957, and outside investors bought homes in Cabbagetown, which started the gentrification process that continues today. This specific section of Wylie Street is part of the Eastside Beltline, a very popular destination in Atlanta over the past decade. This area is full of new restaurants, shops, apartments, and condos. The existence of the Wylie street murals is due to the Forward Warrior Mural Project, which was founded by artist Peter Ferrari, as a response to the “Cabbagetown Initiative 501c3 Community Development Corporation in partnership with the Cabbagetown Neighborhood Improvement Association” (Cabbagetown.com). The murals are strategically painted on a wall that separates the newer residential buildings from a rail freight yard; turning an ugly wall into art. While the murals are sanctioned by the city, they still offer insight into the socio-cultural state of the community.
For my project, I want to ask the question: What do the people of Atlanta make art about on Wylie Street, and how does the location contribute to the understanding of the art?
Methods
To collect my data, I walked along Wylie Street and took photographs of the murals. I chose to focus on 18 randomly selected murals out of the dozens that are found along this strip. I felt that an overwhelming amount of data would be more chaotic than helpful, and with a random selection of less data I am able to focus more clearly on each individual mural. I brought a few friends along with me on a sunny Wednesday afternoon and snapped photos while people rode bikes, walked their dogs, and jogged along the Beltline. In order to categorize my data, I looked for patterns in the murals that I had selected. The murals vary in color, shape, subject matter, and style, so it was slightly difficult to group them together. I settled on four categories to divide the 18 murals: Portraits, Cartoon-Style, Artistic, and Graffiti-Style.
Results
Of the 18 murals studied, I found 6 of them to fit into the “Portrait” category, or, 33.3%. 4 murals fit into the “Cartoon-Style” category, or, 22.2%. I placed 4 murals into the “Artistic” category, or, 22.2%. Finally, 4 murals fell into the “Graffiti-Style” category, or, 22.2%.
Each of the murals in the “Portrait” category features a feminine face as the central figure. They include different shapes, patterns, animals, and colors. Two murals feature jungle animals (Images #4 and #5). Another features a hat in the form of a tiger (Image #3). Still, two other murals in the “Portrait” category feature plant-life as well as patterns including stripes (Images #1 and #2). Each of these murals use bright colors, and are similar in size.
The four murals found in the “Cartoon-Style” category include bright blues, purples, pinks, and yellows. Three murals feature children. One mural features big block letters, personified with eyes and mouths (Image #9). A mural with a girl with pigtails features several popular children’s toys (Image #7). Another mural appears to display a girl among a mountain of colorful donuts (Image #10).
In the “Artistic” category, each mural appears to be an artistic expression of various concepts, themes, or things found in nature. One mural portrays the letters of the alphabet in different colors, shapes, and sizes (Image #11). Another features an angel playing the piano (Image #13). Birds fly over a stream in another mural (Image #12), and a creature pops out of a living room TV in yet another one (Image #14).
In the “Graffiti-Style” category, 3 of the 4 murals include words. One mural features the phrases “BLACK LIVES MATTER” and “STOP ASIAN HATE”, with hands held in the middle (Image #18). Another says the word “CREEP” (Image #16), while another includes horses, mushrooms, and a skull (Image #17).
Discussion
In studying the murals on the walls of Wylie Street, Atlanta, Georgia, I was interested in questions about the content and thematic focus of the public art as well as its connection to the specific location in this gentrifying part of town.
I was surprised at first to find that the majority of the paintings consisted of light-hearted subject matter. I had expected to see numerous murals with messages about social injustice or societal issues, and I speculated that it might be a testament to the intent behind the Forward Warrior Mural Project and their goals of beautifying the neighborhood. However, upon further inspection of the details within each mural, I found that there was much more to extract from the art.
Portraits:
Image #1 features a side profile of a feminine face with a background of vertical stripes. In one part of the mural, the order of the colors used is similar to that of a pride flag. This image offers a symbolization of the strength and beauty found within the LGBTQ+ community during a politically tumultuous time. Images #2, #4, and #5 depict female portraits among nature and wildlife. These murals seem as though they could be making art about the solace found within the natural world, or the power of Mother Nature herself. Images #3 and #6 offer slightly more fantastical depictions of women, perhaps to represent the significance of escaping into another world in times when real life is bleak.
Cartoon-Style:
The images within the “Cartoon-Style” category appear to offer art that represents and caters the children of the community. Image #7 depicts a young girl surrounded by common childrens’ toys. This mural gives a sense of nostalgia with its vibrant colors and bright-eyed girl. Image #8 is an almost humorous display of a schoolboy. These two murals are placed next to one another, appearing to display a dichotomy between the expressions of school-aged girls and boys. The mural in image #9 contains the personified letters “A” and “T”. It is not clear what this painting is in reference to, however, it is a further example of art that caters to the children within the community. Image #10 displays a girl among a mountain of donuts. The donuts behind her appear to have been eaten already, as they are painted as “ghosts” with X’s for eyes. This mural evokes a sense of childlike greed and obsession with sugar that most kids experience. The “Cartoon-Style” murals represent the younger generations within the community, or perhaps the perception of childhood that these muralists have as adults.
Artistic:
The four murals that I placed into the “Artistic” category portray creative representations of differing content and themes. Image #11 is a unique portrayal of the alphabet. Each letter is a different color, pattern, shape, and style. Image #12 appears to be a painting of a sailboat on a stream, with a deep red sun and birds flying overhead. Image #13 displays a line-art angel at a piano surrounded by stars. Image #14 depicts a family sitting in a living room watching TV. Some kind of monster is reaching out of the TV as green goo oozes out of it as well, offering an artistic critique of the impact of technology on society. The murals within this category are those that I would most particularly like to ask questions to the artists about. At face value, these murals appear to be purely for the artistic aspect of the Forward Warrior Mural Project. However, similar to the societal critiques found in image #14, I am sure there are deeper meanings behind these murals, and I would love to expand the study by speaking with the muralists themselves.
Graffiti-Style:
I found the murals that were graffiti-style to be the most interesting to me, considering the juxtaposition with the other murals and with the unsanctioned graffiti just down the street. The muralists that painted these murals were given permission by the city, whereas the graffiti found in the Krog Street Tunnel, only a few blocks away, is transgressive. It is interesting that these muralists chose to paint in this specific style, and I am curious to know whether or not they intentionally wanted to display the dichotomy between sanctioned and unsanctioned street art. Regardless of intentionality, the drastic difference is clearly conveyed. The sanctioned murals are clearly defined within their given borders, and they are not overlaid with other artists’ work, unlike the art found in Krog Street Tunnel. Image #18 has the words “BLACK LIVES MATTER” and “STOP ASIAN HATE” in big bold letters. In between these phrases, two multicolored hands grasp each other in the middle. This is an example of the muralists using their sanctioned platform to make a statement about social injustices. There are many examples of graffiti throughout the nation that state the same or similar phrases, and it would be interesting to know the difference in how these are perceived, compared to murals.
An obvious limitation of this research study is the lack of information surrounding the artists themselves. Unfortunately, I was unable to interview any human participants in this small-scale study. In a larger project, it might be insightful to communicate with the muralists, directors of the Forward Warrior Mural Project, and residents of the Eastside Beltline area. I also believe that incorporating the yearly change in murals would be beneficial to study. The change in content, colors, and styles based on time might offer specific understanding about the way that art on Wylie Street changes with the community. I also would have loved to explore the dichotomy between sanctioned and unsanctioned street art, using the Wylie Street murals and the graffiti in the Krog Street Tunnel. As one drives towards the tunnel exit, the road opens up to reveal Wylie Street, and a much more gentrified Atlanta. The difference in the presentation and content of this art is something I would have liked to study.
I believe that this study revealed many things about the significance of the public art found on Wylie Street. I found that although many different topics and themes are present in the murals I studied, overall, the art seemed to mainly cater to the goal of beautifying the neighborhood, which was the main goal of the Forward Warrior Mural Project. The themes found within the art included social injustice, childhood nostalgia, feminism, and critiques of societal habits. I believe that the art found on Wylie Street offers a window into the experiences of the surrounding community, and how they express everyday life as well as larger societal issues. The uniformity of the mural panels, the largely positive subject matter, and bright colors all point to gentrification. The Eastside Beltline is already a hub for new businesses, construction, and new Atlanta residents. Programs such as the festivals held by Forward Warrior Mural Project contribute to the intentional or unintentional efforts to gentrify the neighborhood. The fact that the murals are painted on a wall that separates this area from another, less gentrified part of the city also points to this phenomenon. The location of the murals adds to their meaning, as the wall almost acts as a barrier between the “grittier” part of the city, and the more “polished” version of Atlanta.
Bibliography
Cabbagetown, Atlanta. (n.d.). Forward, Warrior!! – Cabbagetown USA. Retrieved April 21, 2025, from https://cabbagetown.com/forwardwarrior
Linuwih, E. R., Harijanto, S., & Fadilah, E. (2025). Semiotic landscape of Chinese murals in Kya-Kya, Surabaya. Indonesian Journal of EFL and Linguistics, 10(1), 145–157.
Staff, City Lights, & WABE. (2024, September 13). Forward Warrior Festival marks 10 years of murals along Wylie Street. WABE. https://www.wabe.org/forward-warrior-festival-marks-10-years-of-murals-along-wylie-street/
Wiśniewska, D. (2021). Linguistic landscape, murals and language learning. In Angewandte Linguistik – Neue Herausforderungen und Konzepte (pp. 429–445).
