New Deep Ellum Pole Banners Features Work By Local Tattoo Artists

by Jessica Fuentes March 1, 2022

The Deep Ellum Foundation, a nonprofit organization that serves its namesake Dallas neighborhood, has partnered with local tattoo businesses to highlight the work of tattoo artists on newly installed streetlight pole banners.

Each of the ten banners was designed by a different artist, and four tattoo shops are represented, including Taboo Tattoo, Dallas Tattoo and Arts Company, Artistic Encounter, and Elm Street Tattoo. While most of the banners feature new designs, one marks the first time the foundation has rehung a past banner. Originally showcased in 2017, this banner features work by Norman Dean Williams, founder of Elm Street Tattoo, who died in 2021 at the age of 50.

A photograph of a tall narrow banner attached to a street pole. The banner has text that reads, "Deep Ellum Texas, Est. 1873." The image on the banner is of a woman with long curyly black hair and her horse. Design by Norman Dean Williams.

Banner designed by Norman Dean Williams. Image courtesy of the Deep Ellum Foundation.

In the press release announcing the new pole banners, Shawn Hodges, Operations Manager at Elm Street Tattoo, stated, “Dean passed away this summer, which has left a big hole in our hearts. He truly was one of a kind.”

The other artists included are Mike Duncan, Kat Freedman, Kendall Kirkland, Rudy Hetzer, David Nash, Cody Briggs, Chelsi Morrow, Hamid Rasul, and Damian Reign.

A tall narrow design by Mike Duncan. The image is of a woman with long hair that curls at the bottom. She wears origami crane earrings and above her head is a UFO that appears to be extracting her brain. Text on the banner reads, "Deep Ellum Est. 1873."

A tall narrow design by Kat Freedman. The design is of a woman with short curly black hair. The woman has two flowers in her hair and a pair of butterfly wings behind her. In the top corners of the image are red roses with spiderwebs behind them. The bottom of the design has text that reads, "Deep Ellum. Est. 1873."

A tall narrow design by Kendall Kirkland. The design depicts a bucking white pegasus against a starry night sky with purple clouds at the edges. The text on the design reads, "Deep Ellum Texas. Est. 1873."

A tall narrow design by Rudy Hetzer. The design features a woman wearing a bright green head covering that also drapes across her face. The Dallas skyline appears over her draped face. Text in the design reads, "Deep Ellum, TX."

A tall narrow design by David Nash. The design features a black panther climbing letters textured to resemble rocks. The letters read, "Deep Ellum." At the bottom of the design is additional text that reads, "Est. 1873."

A tall narrow design by Cody Briggs. The design features a long and winding, intricately detailed Chinese dragon. Text on the banner reads, "Deep Ellum. Est. 1873."

A tall narrow design by Chelsi Morrow. The design features two small colorful birds perched on branches with flowering buds. The text on the banner reads, "Deep Ellum. Est. 1873."

A tall narrow design of text that reads, "I [heart symbol] Deep Ellum. Est. 1873." In place of the heart symbol, is a rendering of part of an iconic Deep Ellum sculpture — a silver robotic face in the shape of a heart with red hearts for eyes and a small simple smile.

A tall narrow design by Damian Reign. The design includes an image of a woman with long curly black hair and black glasses. Her head is resting on her crossed arms and her hand holds a cigarette. The figure is propped on top of a skull which is resting in a red martini glass. Text on the banner reads, "Welcome to Deep Ellum. Est. 1873."

The banners, which showcase a range of styles by local artists, serve to identify and promote the neighborhood. Deep Ellum was established in 1873 as a freedman’s town, settled by African American people who were formerly enslaved. Soon it would attract factories like the Continental Gin Company and the Ford plant that produced the Model T. The neighborhood was a hotspot for jazz and blues music from the 1920s to the 1950s.

The 1980s saw a resurgence of live music venues and other businesses including Barry Whistler Gallery, which opened in 1985. Over the last decade, there have been continued shifts in the neighborhood with Barry Whistler relocating to Dallas’ Design District in 2016 and Kirk Hopper Fine Art making a similar move last year. Among the restaurants and music venues, smaller galleries like Kettle Art and Umbrella Gallery remain, as well as other arts adjacent businesses like Deep Vellum Books and Photographique (a photo lab).

New Deep Ellum Pole Banners Features Work By Local Tattoo Artists

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