Eva Davis is central to an Atlanta artist’s mural on a high-rise that was once part of a public housing project.
Atlanta-based artist Chastain “Chaz” Clark stands in front of his mural at Legacy at East Lake on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. Clark completed the 80-foot mural on the side of the senior affordable housing high-rise in 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC)
For muralist Chastain “Chaz” Clark, brick is not just a blank canvas. He uses brick to tell a story about Atlanta, the city he grew up in.
It’s a story about history, identity and power.
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In an early collage, Chastain “Chaz” Clark explored themes of forced convict labor in Atlanta’s historic brick factories. (Chastain Clark/Studio Chastain)
htiw erehw eht eht yllacificeps dluohs thgir s’tliuq gnitniap fo hcrairtam si gnidloh reh ,riah morf sselecaf ecaf desopxe id lacissalc kcirb deworrob kcalb .eb ybab ,tra dna a a oT annodaM .suseJ ottoiG kralC enodnoB yrutnec-ht41
nwonk-llew eht eht eht cilbup elpoep gnivil deripsni suomafni ni ni gnisuoh reh rof rof ecreif .ngised ,xelpmoc ta osla ycacovda swodaeM ekaL avE tsaE ,sivaD atnaltA s0991
”,citanaf“ gnikaepS“ ,nemow htiw ohw saw siht siht gnikniht neht eht eht taht emos debircsed-fles dias ,stnediser ylralucitrap .tuo gnizinagro eno redlo fo fo ,doohrobhgien erom spmuj si latnemurtsni ni ni snoci morf rof tsrif naf suomaf ylimaf ”,ytinummoc semoc gnirac .syenrotta dna dna dna dna tuoba a a ehS RACSAN avE sivaD ,kralC atnaltA
Eva Davis was a pioneering community organizer whose leadership was central to the East Lake neighborhood’s revival. (PBS)
ot eht eht elbbur decuder cilbup stcejorp rehto ni ni gnisuoh yllautneve gniyaced ytic swodaeM ekiL ekaL tsaE ,atnaltA .s0991
yhtrow mohw hcihw eht elat cimetsys eruces efas gninilder ,msicar ,ytrevop denepo fo ni .gnisuoh demeed ,sedaced yranoituac emaceb dna dna dna tuoba a revO ,swodaeM ekaL tsaE atnaltA ,0791
elttiL“ rieht eht eht eht eht was stnediser ylroop fo emankcin ti ,seye egde nretsae gninrae elbmurc neddir-emirc detcurtsnoc xelpmoc ,ytic erofeb dna ”.manteiV tA
llew eciov ot ot eht eht ekat tpews ,stnediser .ecalp fo wen emocni-dexim devil sti evag rof gnithgif cimedipe eritne ,tnempoleved gnitatsaved kcarc xelpmoc .seitinummoc eniacoc ,pordkcab ta sa sa dna dna ssorca a a segalliV swodaeM ,ekaL ekaL nI tsaE tsaE sivaD ,atnaltA
,raey gnikcerw htiw saw ot eht eht eht eht eht eht devivrus .stnediser enigamier evreserp derentrap trap no no redlo fo fo gnisuoh gnisuoh rof repoleved s’ytic s’ytic tub tliub gnidliub .llab ytirohtua sa stnemtrapa dna osla elbadroffa yaW sihT laitnediseR yllanigirO swodaeM ycageL ekaL ekaL ekaL ,esirhgiH avE tsaE tsaE tsaE sivaD aibmuloC desab-atnaltA
htiw hcihw skeew .noisiv ot ot ot eht eht eht remmus ,stnediser ezilaer stliuq ylno fo fo larum sfitom rebmetpeS-dim .rebotcO-dim gniteem ti otni detaroprocni ni sih mih depleh eh eh sdnah dah morf ruof hsinif lanif ,degreme snezod .ngised etaerc denoissimmoc lartnec ,skcirb dna dna tuoba stnediseR aibmuloC kralC retfA
Clark created a mural at the Legacy at East Lake high-rise featuring motifs such as brick, hands, and a quilt. (Chastain Clark/Studio Chastain)
krow saw ,semit .mrotsrednuht taerht eht eht gniraes ,gnikatsniap ro fo detpurretni taeh yb a tA
saw .yracs elttil osla a tI
dekrow saw desu ot semit emit hguoht siht siht eht eht eht dednepsus .elacs tcejorp ,tsap detniap no fo riadim ynam tfil tfil .edisni ni ni ni eh dah dah morf tsrif gnillortnoc moob moob teksab dehcatta gnitalucitra ,mra na ,enola a a a eH nevE kralC
I“ — uoy uoy dniw pu pu eht .dias skcip hcum s’ti woh eh ”,yriah ,tog teg teef ecneirepxe t’nod erac dna 08
Clark used a boom lift to paint the 4,000-square-foot mural on the side of the eight-story high-rise. (Credit: DV Photo Video)
rehtegoT“ letsaP“ gnitteG“ eht eht sdnuos kcor tsilyalp fo eidni gnidulcni ni sih dah noisuf ,spitregnif esrevid B;pma&R-yrtnuoc yb dnab ta dna mubla a s’enomiS yaR aniN ”delliK .eseeG kralC ’selrahC ”,seulB ”,niagA
htiw ot eht taht derrefer detnirp enohp enohp ,detniap fo larum tpek tsuj ni sih sih eh eh eh .deid ypoc seipoc esolc esac yb sa a nO
erew eht eht taht reyarps semitemos debbor dehsiler nar tniap tuo ro fo fo yltsom tfil sruoh mih eh snoitartsurf .ecneirepxe neve .leseid .syad ,deggolc moob dna erehT siH tuB
nehW“ er’uoy elohw pu ”,seert ot .emit ereht eht eht ees .dias gniniar ,gnitniap revo cisum selim evol elttil netsil .ti eh rof nac .tib a s’tI I I I
— .kcitsdray dluow htiw htiw htiw htiw saw ot ot ,emit siht eht eht ekat gnihtemos dehcteks esicerp eceip srebmun-yb-tniap tniap tniap egap .eniltuo no fo srebmun ton senil ekil srettel tfel evael ni eh eh dah dirg nautnagrag rof ,tsrif gniward klahc erac .kcirb .koob gib dniheb tra dna a a a a a sihT ,yllamroN eH eH
Clark’s finished mural is at the Legacy at East Lake high-rise, an eight-story building with almost 150 apartments for older low-income residents. (DV Photo Video)
”pam“ eht taht .stniap mih eh sediug dirg sllac sa a kralC
,wolley denrut ot eht eht eht yarps ,der hcaep tniap no ,larum gnidulcni ni eh rof renif gnillif .sliated sroloc thgirb ,dlob ,eulb dna retfA
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,krow hcihw saw sehcuot eht eht eht yarps dias remirp elpoep ,tniap skoolrevo fo larum ,retal etaidemmi sepoh sih s’esir-hgih eh snollag .dehsinif raf .ytinummoc snac dnoyeb dna dna setaY floG ytfiF ,esruoC kralC eilrahC 002
gnitnalp“ saw eht .dias rednimer tnenamrep fo larum ,ycagel eh ”galf dna dna tuoba a a ,yletamitlU ekaL avE tsaE ’sivaD
I“ I“ ,yaw ,yaw ”.pu ot esoht kniht kniht sgniht eht taht tros .dias s’elpoep elpoep ytinutroppo fo ebyam elttil tsuj tsuj ti ni sah ,yllatnemadnuf gniteelf neve t’nod yad egnahc niatrec dda ”,egdelwonkca a a kralC
Chastain “Chaz” Clark chats with Legacy at East Lake resident Jessie Ellis Jr. near the mural he painted on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC)
Matt Reynolds is a housing reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s local government team.
