Beaver Street Fisheries unveils mural in Railyard District

Posted on January 3, 2019 By Editor Articles, Neighborhood News

Nearing completion, a 6,000-square-foot mural at Beaver Street Fisheries was celebrated by the art community on Nov. 16.

The massive mural on the face of a warehouse facing Beaver Street was not quite completed in time for its reception Nov. 16, 2018, but the art community assembled to toast the international artist, Alessandro Battisti (aka Etnik), and view the work in progress.

Artists Nicole Holderbaum, Alessandro Battisti and Irina Kanishcheva

Etnik, of Italian and Swedish heritage, arrived in Jacksonville Nov. 8 and began working 10-hour days on the 6,000-square-foot mural at Beaver Street Fisheries, which commissioned the project through local artist Nicole Holderbaum and Irina Kanishcheva, an urban art curator and project manager from Gainesville, who was recommended by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville to manage the project.

Etnik said he used about 30 different colors, including about 10 shades of blue latex paint, to render the image, which combines architecture and nature. He presented an initial sketch to secure the project, but made some adjustments after getting his first look at the warehouse. He planned to finish the mural by the end of the weekend, saying he had a flight back to Italy on Nov. 19.

Beaver Street Fisheries Chief Financial Officer Jeff Edwards with Ann Carey Holt, Cultural Council board chair

Holderbaum said other businesses in the Railyard District are interested in doing the same. “This is a catalyst for creative revitalization here,” she said. “I’m excited to get other Jacksonville artists involved with the project because there’s an amazing young group of artists who are very talented and ready to expand and grow as artists.”