Designed by Roger Nelson and painted by Nelson, Marilyn Lindstrom, Ta-coumba Aiken and others in 1978, “Berlin Wall” is one of the most intriguing and unknown murals in the Twin Cities. It’s painted on the back of the K-Mart on Lake Street and a full view of the mural is obscured by trees and a chain link fence.

Oddly enough, it’s a protest mural painted on the very building the mural protests. The mural depicts a man closing a door and walking away in various panels, interrupted by images of a battleship, its guns turned towards the viewer. The symbolic imagery reflects the neighborhood angst over an economic development project that went south, forcing the city to accept K-Mart’s demands to build on top of Nicollet Avenue. Allowing a mural on the north wall had been a concession from K-Mart, though they clearly paid little attention to the content of the mural.

“The businessman in the panels represents Kmart and its allies,” Lindstrom told the Twin Cities Daily Planet in 2008. “As you follow the mural from left to right, you see him closing a door on the neighborhood—which is represented by a battleship symbolic of the struggle over the store’s construction.”

Lindstrom and Aiken refurbished the mural in the 1990s, though it needs attention again today. However, refurbishment has taken a backseat as Mayor R.T. Rybak has called for the reopening of Nicollet Avenue.

Local artist Ta-coumba Aiken created these cast stone walls for the Robert Street Municipal Parking Ramp in downtown St. Paul.

The Saint Paul Cultural Garden is an artistic project led by Cliff Garten and dedicated in November 1993. The project reflects the history of St. Paul, its connection with the Mississippi River and investigates issues of racism in America. The project involved visual artists Ta-Coumba Aiken, Armando Gutierrez G. and Xiaowei Mei, as well as poets Sandra Benitez, Soyini Guyton, Roberta Hill Whiteman, John Minczeski, David Mura and Xeng Sue Yang.

A plaque near the garden reads:

The Cultural Garden is a gift to the residents of the Saint Paul area from The Saint Paul Foundation to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Naming of Saint Paul, developed in cooperation with the City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County, and Public Art Saint Paul.

In 2000 local artist Ta-coumba Aiken painted this “Voices of Hope” mural on the wall of the St. Paul Union Gospel Mission.

A City Pages article highlighting some of the best murals in the Twin Cities includes this work and says:

Aiken, who works with several idiosyncratic styles of abstract imagery, refers to the composition of this particular set of motifs as “rhythm patterns.” The piece is across the street from the Naomi Family Center. “Since women go there with kids to better their lives,” Aiken says, “I thought a lot about what’s going to give you that little spark, to help make your life better.” The result was a continuous rainbow of colors, composed of lines at least six feet long.

Local artist Ta-coumba Aiken created the “Welcome to Elliot Park” mural in 1985. The mural features neighborhood icons from the neighborhood on the edge of downtown Minneapolis.

Originally the mural’s colors were bright and vibrant, but in the more than 20 years since the mural was painted the colors have faded to their current dull state.

This mural is on the wall of the Selby Commons building, a mixed-use redevelopment project with single parent housing on the upper level. The mural, painted in 2001 by Ta-coumba Aiken is a backdrop for the development’s playground.

A mural by Ta-coumba Aiken in downtown St. Paul. The project probably had the involvement of local children, but I can’t find any further info on this mural.

This mural/sculpture adorns the wall along Warner Road below downtown St. Paul. Local artists Seitu Jones and Ta-coumba Aiken created it in 1986 along with Sticks and Stones, Inc.

In the 20 years since the piece was created things have changed considerably, including moving Warner Road closer to the wall (a 1987 photo shows parking spaces in front of the mural). The piece is also deteriorating, with several boards missing in places.