Murals as mirrors to an evolving community

By Adrianne Murchison

Publish Date: September 16, 2025

In Old Fourth Ward, muralists turn concrete into conversation — telling stories of resistance, nostalgia, and change.

For artists like Fabian Williams, Nick “Turbo” Benson, and Elaine Stephenson, murals reflect the spirit of a neighborhood always in motion, yet rooted in something deeper.

For Fabian Williams, public art isn’t background, it’s a force. Murals, in particular, let him speak with power and nuance to the communities they inhabit.

His contributions to Old Fourth Ward include the fluorescent mural of Hosea Williams on the Studioplex parking deck. Painted in 2017, the radiant portrait casts the late civil rights leader as a spiritual sentinel — bold, watchful, and unwavering.

“Politics and social issues drive me,” Williams said. “I take a lot of inspiration from current events and what’s happened in the past.”

Williams is also a rebel with a cause. After his mural of Colin Kaepernick in the West End was destroyed ahead of the 2019 Super Bowl in Atlanta, he rallied fellow artists to create seven new murals of Kaepernick across the city.

In his “Wake Up MLK” mural, located just outside Old Fourth Ward in Cabbagetown, a dreamlike Martin Luther King Jr. floats through space above children at rest, while Fulton County DA Fani Willis anchors the image in the here and now.

A mural blossoms into a new beginning

Elaine Stephenson didn’t plan to be a muralist, but Old Fourth Ward drew her in.

In 2018, while living in the community and inspired by the artists around her, she responded to a call for public art — and ended up painting a power box at the intersection of North Avenue and Glen Iris Drive.

“It was the first mural I’d ever painted,” said Stephenson, who is also a graphic designer. “I had no idea how much I would love it.”

Her mural design, inspired by nature and transformation, was filled with blooming flowers and vibrant color. “If I could name it now, I’d call it Old Fourth Ward Blooms,” she said, adding that the flowers in the piece helped her creative life take root.

A muralist in the mix

Where Williams is driven by activism and Stephenson by nature, Nick ‘Turbo’ Benson taps nostalgia and myth — layering murals with dinosaurs, archers, and ATL energy.

In addition to murals, Benson’s artistry extends to music posters and collaborations with artists such as Killer Mike and Run the Jewels. One of his best-known works from his Old Fourth Ward years was a mural on DeKalb Avenue near the Neon Company: a woman warrior shooting a bow while riding a dinosaur. Though painted over in 2023, it remains a standout piece in Atlanta’s street art legacy.

Benson’s work will soon be featured in a mural exhibition at Cat Eye Creative Gallery in Decatur, where artists will bring their outdoor artwork into an indoor setting.

As Old Fourth Ward continues to evolve, the work of artists like Williams, Benson, and Stephenson remain deeply rooted in the community. Their murals invite conversation, drawing in residents, passersby and business owners.

“Old Fourth Ward has gone through ups and downs. It’s constantly evolving,” Benson said. “Murals let me kind of participate in actively changing landscapes of the city. When I’m painting my murals … I get to talk to people who come by [and hear their stories too.]”