This mural pays tribute to one of the most critically-acclaimed Black musicians of all time, Jimi Hendrix. ARCY was inspired by Hendrix’s innovative style, in creating an abstract mural background, with Hendrix and his legendary guitar in bright colors, conveying movement and creativity—which also ties into the location as a live music venue. ARCY designed the mural as a tribute to one of Hendrix’s most well-known songs, “Purple Haze.” Hendrix, who was entirely self-taught, is considered one of the greatest, influential guitarists ever. ARCY was also inspired by this quote from Jimi Hendrix: “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”
Known for his paint-splashed style of large-scale street art, Ryan “ARCY” Christenson has been creating murals for more than a decade. He’s known for putting together cross-country mural tours, in which he creates live-event mural walls in front of thousands of fair and festival audiences. ARCY has created art for The Smithsonian Institute, Major League Baseball, America’s National Parks Service, and for The Walt Disney Company as a Disney Fine Artist.
Jimi Hendrix is ranked #1 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists. “Jimi Hendrix exploded our idea of what rock music could be: He manipulated the guitar, the whammy bar, the studio and the stage,” writes Tom Morello. “His playing was effortless. There's not one minute of his recorded career that feels like he's working hard at it – it feels like it's all flowing through him.”
