ABOUT THE MURAL

A2AC Murals presents a dynamic Thelonious Monk mural on Ashley Street in Downtown Ann Arbor by Brian Whitfield of Lansing, Michigan.

From Concentrate’s Article:

“Chera Piehutkoski, co-owner of 122 W. Washington St. in Ann Arbor, says a new mural there is an “ode” to her stepfather, Rick Burgess, who for decades owned the building best known as the home of the Del Rio Bar.

But the mural isn’t just a private ode to one individual. It also serves as “a nice nod to the history of Ann Arbor,” Chera Piehutkoski says — and, in particular, to the Del Rio Bar. In the late ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, the bar served “an irreverent bohemian mix of artists, poets, musicians, and working folk,” according to a 1994 Ann Arbor Chronicle article.
 
The mural “is art for the community,” Chera Piehutkoski says, meant to reflect Burgess’ own commitment to that community.
 
“Anything that brings the art back to our own community is always a good thing,” she says.”

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Brian Whitfield tests the boundaries between painting and sculpture with his works of painted construction collages. Works that express the spirit of jazz and improvisation, his collage paintings are shapes and curves bursting with energy and movement. Brian is influenced by the styles of many artists, including Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Wassily Kandinsky, Gustav Klimt, William De Kooning, Diego Rivera, and Pablo Picasso. He was commissioned in 1992 to produce 35 portraits of past National Presidents and Executive Directors of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc., displayed at the headquarters in Chicago, Ill. In 1988 He designed the 75th international anniversary logo of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. Brian has received many awards for his work including 1984-Designer of the Ingham County Flag; 1991-The Basil H. Alkazzi Award (U.S.A.), an acquisition award given to an American Artist; 2006 major contributor to the design of the Michigan license plate; he is the designer of the current Michigan plate, “The Mackinaw Bridge,” which was named the 2013 Best New Plate, Internationally, by the American License Plate Collectors Association; and in 2021 and 2022 Brian was an award winner at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, MI.

Brian Whitfield has worked as a graphic designer for the Michigan Department of Transportation for 29 years. Muralist, painter, and graphic artist Brian graduated from Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, MI. He received his MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD.

In 1992, Brian accepted a position at Alma College, Alma, Michigan, teaching advanced illustration, and in 1993 he taught painting at Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Michigan. He has served as a grant panelist for the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs and the Arts Council of Greater Lansing. Twice he served as visiting critic for the Alma College Senior Art Show, and adjudicated art shows at the Lansing Art Gallery & Education Center and the East Lansing Arts Festival.

Brian’s accomplishments include 1984-Designer of the Ingham County Flag; 1991-The Basil H. Alkazzi Award (U.S.A.), an award to an American artist; 2013 design of Michigan’s license Plate, named “Best New Plate”, Internationally by the American License Plate Collectors Association and designer of the Michigan’s current Mackinac Bridge plate. At ArtPrize 2021, Brian won the Best Contemporary Black Artist Award for the Monroe Community Church mural, “Planted by the Sacred Streams of Grace”, and was awarded Runner Up, in the installation category for his piece “Who’s Next”, at ArtPrize 2022.

New Ann Arbor mural honors Thelonious Monk and beloved Del Rio Bar

NATALIA HOLTZMAN | CONCENTRATE | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2024

Chera Piehutkoski, co-owner of 122 W. Washington St. in Ann Arbor, says a new mural there is an “ode” to her stepfather, Rick Burgess, who for decades owned the building best known as the home of the Del Rio Bar.