Delmous Vance III is still getting used to vehicles slowing down as people approach his building in downtown Birmingham.
His Citizens Express pharmacy on Fifth Avenue North is directly across from the AG Gaston Motel Museum in the city’s Civil Rights District. And the new mural on his building is causing a stir.
The work, which extends over the entire surface of the building, is entitled “Radical Seeds” and shows five people, including a toddler, children and adults, in a shared embrace.
“It means a lot to me because this is the gateway to the Fourth Avenue business district. Since AG Gaston owned this building and then sold it to my father, it’s a legacy,” the younger Vance said.
While Vance was speaking outside, a woman pulled into the adjacent parking lot to get a closer look at the artwork. “Everyone is excited,” Vance said.
The public artwork was commissioned in June by the nonprofit Taproot Earth. The Slidell, Louisiana-based organization aims to help communities from the Gulf to the Appalachians affected by climate change through organizing and advocacy.
“They wanted something that symbolized love, abundance and strength and fit their message,” said New Orleans artist Langston Austin. “I generally try to paint with empathy and caring. You can see what it’s about: people caring for each other in every way they can.”
Vance said he quickly agreed to let his building become the canvas for the artwork.
A new mural in Birmingham’s Civil Rights District on the Citizens Express Pharmacy building is directly across from the AG Gaston Motel Museum on 5th Avenue North.Joseph D. Bryant
“It’s a very profound piece,” he said. “It says that it takes everyone to make it work. It has to be a community investment.”
Citizens Express Pharmacy, an established business in downtown Birmingham, was founded by AG Gaston, the famous early black entrepreneur.
Gaston was born into abject poverty in Alabama’s Black Belt, the grandson of former slaves. By the time he died in 1996 at age 103, Gaston had built a business empire that included a funeral home, an insurance company, a bank, a motel and a pharmacy.
Vance’s father, Delmous Vance Jr., worked as a pharmacist at the company before purchasing the operation from Gaston in 1970. The current owner took over the business when his father died in 1996.
Vance describes the mural as a further enrichment of the cityscape that connects the present, past and future.
“So it stays alive for another generation. This pharmacy is still there. It was brought to this community by AG Gaston and is a legacy from my father. I’m happy to be here and do this.”
