MEMPHIS, Tenn. (localmemphis.com) – Raleigh has been a community of growth for years after the Raleigh Springs Mall closed and will now be reopened. Local artist Joseph Boyd is showcasing the growth of Raleigh through a new mural.
For years, the lot where the old Raleigh Springs Mall stood vacant and hurt the community’s growth. In the next year, the new Raleigh Town Center will open and be a major asset to what Raleigh has to offer.
Boyd was one of eight artists commissioned to add art in a part of Memphis. He chose Raleigh because he was born and raised there and said the community means a lot to him.
“I’m bringing in a lot of elements from the community,” Boyd said. “It has a lot of diversity, a lot of family and that goes back to these residents staying here the longest. People just don’t leave. They love it here.”
Boyd’s mural will be on the wall outside of where the old mall stood. It’s the only wall that was not demolished when the mall was.
“People ride up and down this wall all the time,” Boyd said. “And this was the only structure that they didn’t knock down.”
As a kid, he used to pass this spot all the time and would think it needed something more. His passion is art and knew this was the way he could give back to his community.
“I say a little prayer to myself because I want to do the best I can for this piece here because it’s so close to me,” Boyd said.
There is not a set date for when the mall will open, but Boyd said the rebirth of the mall is only a part of how much Raleigh has grown.
“We’re not forgotten because Raleigh gets forgotten a lot,” Boyd said. “But now we’re not forgotten anymore.”