New mural featuring father and son nears completion in West Allis

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (CBS 58) – The first of several new murals in West Allis will be complete by the end of the day on Wednesday, July 8.

The murals are part of a public art project called West Allis Living Streets or WALS as a way to brighten up a corridor of the city. The project is being led by the group, Wallpapered City.

The first mural is five stories tall on the Lamplight Inn building. Nationally recognized African American artist Thomas ‘Detour’ Evans was asked to complete the large piece. He said the mural is based off of a picture of one of his friend’s and his son.

He hopes people will relate to it through their own happy memories with loved ones.

"It’s really like you’re passing it down to the next generation, you have on your shoulder, you’re carrying it on," Detour said. "It’s my friend, so it’s people that look like me and everything, so it’s sort of reflective of that representation, that’s really what I wanted to do."

The other murals are expected to be complete by September.