The Current

Great Music Lives Here ®
Listener-Supported Music
Donate Now
Local Current Blog

New Prince mural in Uptown: ‘A present to Minneapolis’

by Jay Gabler

April 23, 2016

A new Prince mural on the side of a building in Uptown was painted this weekend as "a nice present to the city of Minneapolis," says Bloomington-based artist Rock "Cyfi" Martinez.

"I just thought about the different songs, the color palette, keeping it purple — obviously — and then the doves," says Martinez, who first conceived the mural as a get-well message when Prince fell ill last week. "I did the symbol instead of his name" to acknowledge Prince's battle for control of his music, says Martinez.

The mural, just over a story high, is located at 26th Street and Hennepin Avenue — on the back of the building housing Sencha Tea among other businesses. Martinez regularly paints a rotating mural on the 26th Street side of the building; that wall currently features an illustration of a bird and the word "Uptown."

Martinez (pictured, below, with his work) says the Prince mural took a total of about six hours to paint over the course of Friday and Saturday. "I thought this would be a nice present to Minneapolis and Uptown to help with grieving," he says. "Minneapolis is hurting, the world is hurting. We're losing a legend of art and music."

Ali Lozoff contributed reporting to this article.

Martinez Prince Mural
Prince Mural 3
Uptown Mural Minneapolis
Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.