A block party in downtown Minneapolis Thursday night will officially unveil a 100-foot tall mural honoring Prince. The artwork is painted on the outside wall of Parking Ramp A in the shadow of First Avenue, the famous music venue where Prince recorded his iconic song and much of the movie, “Purple Rain”. The mural was painted by renowned artist Heiro Viega.
Prince's cousin Chaz Smith says his family members in attendance tonight will be honoring not only their famous relative, but their entire family as well. Smith spoke to Tom Hauser on the WCCO Morning News.
“I’m going to probably go down there tonight and stand there, and feel all them,” said Smith. “And all their efforts and their pain and their struggling. Their ups and downs, and they were able to produce our family like this. Especially somebody as beautiful and a shining star like Prince.”
Thursday's event will have live music and food trucks, and it gets underway at 7:00 pm. Next week, a one block stretch of First Avenue between 7th and 8th Streets will be renamed "Prince Rogers Nelson Way."
Smith grew up with Prince in Minneapolis and is grateful the city is remembering the artist in such a unique and special place.
“Forever and ever, for all time, people will recognize and remember Prince,” Smith told WCCO. “And that is beautiful to me. Especially with kids going downtown, and running around First Avenue. The fact that people will be making their way down there just for this block, is just something.
Truly speechless.”
The mural was started on May 16 and was just recently completed in time for Thursday’s unveling.
The mural depicts Prince in three phases of his life which includes a young Prince, sporting an Afro and wearing a light purple jacket, a Purple Rain era Prince playing guitar, and a later Prince holding his famous “symbol” guitar at the top.
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