**‘Welcome to North Minneapolis’ by Charles Caldwell. 328 West Broadway Ave., completed in 2011.**
Photo by Kiya Darden

By Kiya Darden, North News Intern

Murals are a beautiful way to make landmarks more recognizable. They also have sentimental value and evoke emotion, as art does. But even though the murals are amazing by themselves, it’s the memories I have linked to them that makes them special.

Murals are more than just paint on a wall, they are our voice, our history and our mark on time. Most importantly for me, we use art to make our communities ours, to make our places homes.

**“‘NORTHSIDE’” by Peyton Scott Russell. 1840 North Penn Ave., completed in 2019.** Photo by Kiya Darden

After a long day of running errands, or being outside, crossing the bridge and seeing ‘Welcome to North Minneapolis’ mural through the backseat car window let me know that we were close to home and the day is closing out.

There are murals all over North Minneapolis that give me the same sense of home.

When I was younger, my grandpa would come and visit from Chicago every summer. And one of the things we’d do was bike to Wally’s Corner Store for snacks. We’d ride past the then blank wall of the store and enjoy our snacks. Now I’m not able to ride bikes with him anymore, but when I see the ‘Northside’ mural on the side of the store I get to relive those moments again.

**‘Bunny Mural’ by Duane Atter with students from Henry High School. at Hot Comics and Collectibles , 4400 Osseo Rd, completed in 2011. Represents the city with paths, rivers, and nature.** Photo by Kiya Darden

A more recent mural that I’ve coined with a memory is the bunny on Hot Comics and Collectibles on Osseo Road. My dad is one of the biggest nerds I know, and one of our favorite things to do together is finding book stores to check out. This specific one was one of the first comic book stores he took me to. The bunny is small, and pretty insignificant compared to the rest of the store. But before I knew that it was a comic book store, or even paid any attention to it when driving by, it was the “bunny building” to me because that’s what I noticed about it every time I passed by. Now it makes me think of comic books and spending time with my dad.

Art can resonate differently for everyone, but the shared sense of home that it gives is what keeps us bonded as a community.

Landmarks of my childhood