Starkville, Mississippi, has a secret that most people drive right past. Tucked along retaining walls, splashed across building sides, and painted into the pavement beneath your feet, the city has quietly become one of the most vibrant public art destinations in the state.
Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a lifelong resident, Starkville’s murals tell the story of a community that takes its creative identity as seriously as its college football.
If you’ve been looking for things to do in Starkville beyond game day, this self-guided mural tour is your starting point.
What Is Starkville’s Mural Scene?
Starkville’s public art movement has grown organically over the past decade, driven by local artists, community organizations like the Starkville Area Arts Council (SAAC), and institutions like the Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center at Mississippi State University.
The result is a collection of more than 15 murals scattered across downtown, the Cotton District, University Drive, and surrounding neighborhoods, each one distinct, each one telling a different piece of the Starkville story.
The collection ranges from large-scale wall paintings celebrating the city’s landmarks to road-level asphalt art connecting the campus to downtown. Some were painted by professional artists. Others were created by elementary school students and community volunteers who picked up a brush during a neighborhood block party. All of them are free to see.
Frequently Asked Questions About Starkville Art Murals
Where are the murals in Starkville, MS? Starkville’s murals are spread across several walkable areas of the city, with the highest concentrations along the 100 block of West Lampkin Street, Russell Street, University Drive, and the Cotton District. Several murals are also found in neighborhood pockets like the NeedMore Community Center area on East Gillespie Street and Moncrief Park.
Is there an official Starkville mural trail or map? Visit Starkville maintains a public art murals page with photos, artist credits, and locations for each mural. The collection is extensive enough that locals and visitors treat it as an informal trail, and the city even encourages visitors to take on the challenge of finding every one.
Are the murals free to visit? Yes. All of Starkville’s public murals are viewable at no cost, and most are accessible on foot or by a short drive through the city.
Who creates the murals in Starkville? Starkville’s murals have been created by a mix of established local artists, including Deborah Mansfield, Joseph MacGown, Michael Roy, Anstacia Doughty, and Wayne Gabbadah, as well as community groups, MSU students, and young leaders programs. Several murals were organized through the Starkville Area Arts Council and the Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center at MSU.
The Murals: What to Look For and Where to Find Them
Start Downtown: The Lampkin Street Corridor
The 100 block of West Lampkin Street is the best place to begin. This stretch packs in several murals within easy walking distance of each other and gives a strong sense of how diverse the city’s art scene really is.
Look for “Fish out of Water” by Allison Julien, an ocean-themed piece that’s as surprising as it sounds in the middle of Mississippi. Nearby, the abstract works by Joseph MacGown and the collaborative piece by Joseph and Joe MacGown reward you for slowing down and looking closely. Rich in color and symmetry, they’re the kind of art that reads differently every time you see them.
The “Fractured Color Wheel” by students from Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary School is here too, a reminder that Starkville’s arts culture starts young.
Russell Street: Starkvegas in Full Color
Head over to Russell Street, and you’ll find two of the most photographed murals in the city.
At 550 Russell Street, artist Deborah Mansfield’s “Fabulous Starkvegas” mural celebrates the city’s beloved nickname with an illustrated lineup of downtown’s most recognizable staples. It’s a true landmark, the kind of mural that makes locals proud and stops out-of-towners in their tracks.
Just down the road at 793 Russell Street, “Cadence Celebrates Starkville” by Art & Associates gives you another sweeping, large-scale tribute to the city. The mural wraps the exterior of Cadence Bank and is larger than it looks at first glance.
The Cotton District: Where Campus Meets Community
The Cotton District, Starkville’s historic mixed-use neighborhood adjacent to MSU, is home to some of the most compelling art in the collection.
Michael Roy’s large-scale abstract piece at 103C Rue Du Grand Fromage is impossible to miss. Full of color and expressive energy, it’s the kind of mural that draws a crowd even when you’re just passing by.
At the intersection of University Drive and Maxwell Street, look down. Roy’s Choctaw symbol for happiness, painted in the pavement, serves double duty as both art and a traffic-calming feature, gently reminding drivers to slow down at the crossing. It’s one of the more quietly meaningful pieces in the collection.
The interactive “wings” mural near 500 Russell Street at Belle’s Nail Bar invites you to step up and pose, the classic “look like you’re flying” shot that’s become a staple of Starkville visitor photos.
University Drive: The Corridor That Connects
The stretch of University Drive between downtown Starkville and the MSU campus is where the city’s mural movement went boldly public, literally into the street.
In 2022, Starkville was awarded a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Asphalt Art Initiative, one of only 26 cities nationwide selected for the honor. The Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center at MSU used the grant to paint cowbell-themed intersection murals at three locations along University Drive and crosswalk art at nine key intersections, connecting the one-mile corridor between downtown and campus in a way that’s both beautiful and functional.
The community was part of the process from the start. Residents voted on design themes. Volunteers showed up to paint. A community event called “Cowbells and Paint Pails” turned the painting day into a block party, with live music playing while neighbors added color to the road beneath their feet.
The result is a corridor that feels intentional, a physical expression of the bond between the city of Starkville and Mississippi State University.
Don’t Miss: Hidden Gems Around the City
“Greetings from Starkville” — Wayne Gabbadah’s welcoming mural on the side of Restaurant Tyler on Main Street is one of the best entry points into downtown. It’s warm, colorful, and exactly what you want to see after a long drive.
The “StoryBook Stairs” by Deborah Mansfield at the corner of North Lafayette and Main Street is an easy miss if you’re not looking for it. Take the time to find it.
At Moncrief Park, Marcus Williams’ mural of a bulldog on a surfboard is exactly as fun as it sounds, and a perfect photo stop if you’re visiting with kids.
At the NeedMore Community Center on East Gillespie Street, another Mansfield piece brings color and welcome to a neighborhood that doesn’t always make the tourist map. It’s worth the short drive.
Finally, the University Drive Bridge mural, created collaboratively by Bob Brzuszek, Anstacia Doughty, and Joseph MacGown, turns an otherwise ordinary overpass into something worth slowing down for.
Why Starkville’s Mural Scene Matters
Public art isn’t just decoration. In Starkville, it’s a community strategy.
The Bloomberg-funded University Drive project was designed specifically to make pedestrians and cyclists safer while physically connecting two parts of a city that had long felt separated by traffic. The murals on Lampkin Street were the result of months of collaboration between artists, funders, city officials, and neighborhood advocates. The elementary school piece on the same block gave students a stake in their own downtown.
That’s the through-line in Starkville’s mural story: these aren’t just pretty walls. They’re the result of people deciding, together, what kind of place they want to live in, and then picking up a brush and making it happen.
Plan Your Starkville Mural Visit
Best time to visit: Spring and fall offer the most comfortable walking weather, and the Cotton District comes alive in April during the Cotton District Arts Festival, one of the best times to see the mural collection alongside live art-making in the streets.
Getting around: Most of the downtown and Cotton District murals are walkable from each other. The University Drive corridor is best experienced as a walk or slow drive. Bring a phone with a good camera, natural light in the morning or late afternoon makes the colors pop.
Pair it with: A meal at Restaurant Tyler (just look up at the wall while you’re there), a stop at the Starkville Farmers Market on Saturday mornings, or a visit to the MSU Art Galleries if you want to take your art tour indoors.
For the full mural list: Visit starkville.org/news/public-art-murals/ for artist credits, photos, and locations for every mural in the collection.
