‘Our Neighborhood Is Beautiful’ — Norf Wall Fest Returns To Celebrate North Nashville’s Creative Community

Muralist Jay Jenkins, known as Woke3, is up on a forklift, listening to music with his paint brush scraping across the wall.

He’s working on a painting that honors prominent North Nashvillians. A North Nashville native himself, he says murals like this one on Jefferson Street are his way of giving back.

“Our neighborhood is beautiful and it has a lot of history and we want to be able to show it,” he says. “I’m doing my part by using my skills such as mural art to talk about history and to celebrate or inspire.”

In front of the mural on Saturday, Woke was hosting a block party called Norf Wall Fest, where painters, artists and musicians gathered with a mission to beautify their neighborhood and celebrate the community.

“It’s gonna feel like you’re at the house and it’s a family space,” he says.

­­­This was Norf Wall Fest’s first return since the inaugural event, which was held back in 2015. Woke3 felt it was especially important to bring the community together this year, after being isolated by the pandemic.

He hopes it gives people the space to forge new connections and come up with ideas for other ways to celebrate North Nashville. With enough support, he says, Norf Wall Fest might even become an annual event.