Phoenix

Kevin Campbell - Humanity Love Peace

15842 N Cave Creek Rd, Phoenix

If you have lived in Phoenix for very long then you know about The Tamale Store.  This family-owned store/restaurant is known for their great food and friendly atmosphere.  They have really become an institution with a proven formula that keeps their customers coming back.

The owners of The Tamale Store have now taken what you will find “inside” their walls and placed it on the “outside.”  With the help of muralist Kevin Campbell, whose work is also on display on the interior walls of the store, The Tamale Store is following the long tradition of sending a message to their neighborhood through filling a bare wall with a mural--a mural intent on communicating a social message directly to those who drive by on Cave Creek Road.  This message is as positive as The Tamale Store staff; a reminder for all of us as we work through the unrest we often experience in our world.

The owners have chosen the mural’s simple message to appeal to all people, no matter their politics.  The message is also presented in a clean, straight-forward way by Campbell, with the help of his sons Tucker and Jackson.  They use block letters with color changes to highlight the key words.  Then, to emphasize the Hispanic heritage of The Tamale Store family, Campbell has included a traditional-looking circle with indigenous-type markings.  This circle adds to the impact of the mural, as if to say it doesn’t matter what your ethnic origin is, this message is for you - for all of us.

Since public art, by definition, is available for everyone to see, it helps if the messages are universal.  This is not always the case.  However, for Humanity Love Peace, Campbell and The Tamale Store are giving us a textbook example of how the mural medium can be used in an effective and positive way.

Check out more work by Kevin Campbell at his website.

Last verified 02/2021.