The Distillery District is a funky, unique area with a few distilleries, a brewery, an ice cream spot as well as several restaurants and bars. It’s a local hot-spot and the perfect place to see a handful of eclectic and colorful murals. To kick off our mural series, we decided to go exploring and this is what we found.
I am Mo
1200 Manchester St. Created as part of the PRHBTN project in 2014 by artist MTO, a french muralist. In this 75′ x 270′ mural the subject is signing his name, MO. Although MTO is known for including famous celebrities in his murals, this character is not one. To learn the backstory of the character, check out this video. MTO was inspired by the columns running down the building that he made to look like jail bars in the finished mural. The mural took 2 guys 2 weeks and “tons of paint.”
Graffiti
While this is not an “official mural,” we wanted to mention it. While standing in the parking lot of the I am Mo mural, you will notice 2 buildings across the street. The farther one has interesting graffiti painted on it which is slowly becoming cover by vines. The other building contains the Einstein and Bulleit Bourbon Murals.
Einstein Mural
1107 Manchester St. This mural is on the garage door of the building that was once the DC electrical contractors facility and is behind a fence. Often listed at 1158 Manchester street. The artist is unknown and very little information can be found about the creation of this mural.
Bulleitt Bourbon Mural
Opposite end of 1107 from Einstein Mural. This mural was created in collaboration with The Spirit Network and Bulleitt Bourbon for a new bourbon and road trip-themed television series featuring Adam Corolla. In the series, Adam travels his way across the Kentucky Bourbon Trail with bottles of Bulleitt Bourbon as his only currency. The mural was painted by Square Pegs, aka Graham Allen and Geoff Murphy in 2019.
Left Handed Wave Mural
1178 Manchester St – The Break Room. Painted by Left Handed Wave, a Chicago based street and visual artist who uses iconic characters and intricate patterns within their work.
Ethereal Mural
1224 Manchester St. While checking out the mural on The Break Room, you can’t help but notice this large mural across the parking lot on the side of the Ethereal Brewing building.
But the Ticket, Take the Ride Mural
Venture across the street to The Burl at 375 Thompson Road and you’ll find this PRHBTN project from 2016. The Distillery District commissioned and funded this artwork by Lion’t Grip. Lion’s Grip is an Ohio based art collaborative, formerly Higher Level Art, which included Matthew Daylor. The quote, “But the ticket, take the ride,” is a quote by famous Kentuckian Hunter S. Thompson.
Parachutes Artwork
If you take a quick walk around The Burl and face the train tracks, you’ll discover this interesting artwork of parachuting beings on the side of the building opposite. We couldn’t find a signature on the artwork and speculate that maybe the figures parachuting are dogs??
Dogtown Daycare Mural
1026 Manchester St. Just down the street about a half mile or so, you’ll find this mural by Journeyman artist Danny Diamond. Dogtown Daycare owner, Tiffany Morrow commissioned this futuristic motif of her customers as androids bringing their dogs to her business.
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