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Bakpak Durden 🎒

@bakpakdurden

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Artist | Alchemist | Mystic
Postgender
FREE THE OPPRESSED
[weary music rises]
🖨️ @downpaperstreet

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Last week, Sarah had the opportunity to visit Port Austin!

In the morning, she heard directly from artists about the process and vision behind the 53North project. In the afternoon, the conversation turned to the economic impact of the arts in rural communities.

A special highlight was meeting Good Hart Artist Residency alum Bakpak Durden, creator of Confronting Loneliness for 53North picutured on the first slide!

Art builds community.

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Packed house last week at the @port_austin_air @_53north Rural Landscapes: The Impact of Rural Arts convening in Port Austin, including groups of students from Harbor Beach and Ubly high schools. We met the artists from 53 North (amazing!), but more importantly talked about the larger impact of integrating arts as a strategy in rural communities to build social fabric and drive economic impact. It all ended with a bus tour, beer, and DJ Matty-Lew at @bcf_portaustin. Thanks to all who helped make it happen! @apriljonesboyle @boyle2526 @kblocksatdarksky @ptaustinkayak @huronccf @edc_huroncounty_mi @portaustincommunityplayers @chris.boyle.100 @mr.schnettler @paulaammm

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Amazing weekend in the Thumb for the @_53north Rural Landscapes: Impact of Rural Arts conference in Port Austin. Talks, barn adventures, beers, lots of time with my Barnboat, endless meaningful conversations, fortuitous meeting, and more beers. Thanks to the dozens of Boyles for putting it together and offering nonstop activities & hospitality. Always great being up there, and exciting to see what’s brewing next ✨ #celestialshipofthenorth

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💫💋💫 I’m sending a BESITO to detwah I know I’ve been gone for 5 minutes but I still feel inclined can u handle that

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outside

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Had a beautiful time with the beautiful people yesterday for the @quickenloans Small Business Mural Project 10th Anniversary celebration. Honored to be apart a stellar cohort of artists. Thank you @rouladavid for always holding us down. Yo brotha, Ty #detroitartists #mural

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Bakpak Durden’s mural for the Free City Mural Festival!

This masterpiece is a hauntingly beautiful sight as you pass through Buckham Alley, located on the Sector Link building. Watch until the end to see the mural’s impact at night and if you’re there in person, find orange triangles on the ground to stand on and you can view the mural through the eyes of the artist.

Paint provided by @nbqspray, @aerosollegends and @sherwinwilliams made this possible. Thank you!!

Muralist🎨: @bakpakdurden

Drone footage🎥: @branddiversesolutions

Photography & Videography📸: @dsylvieb

Location📍: 512 Buckham Alley, Flint, MI 48502

#flintpublicartproject #freecitymuralfestival #streetart #murals #

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So, over the week the artists were in town for the Free City Mural Festival here in Flint, I got the chance to hang out with and get to know the artist @bakpakdurden

What they didn’t know at the beginning of the week — and what actually took me a couple of days to realize myself — was that they were part of one of my favorite pictures and memories of Mom and me.

Mom loved to tag along on a “mural hunt,” and a couple of years ago we spent a wonderful day in Detroit discovering all sorts of murals throughout the city. One of them was a mural by Australian artist @smugone of the artist Bakpak Durden. Part of the 2023 “Street Art for Mankind” / Detroit “Be the Change” mural project, Smug painted Bakpak, the Detroit-based artist and muralist.

It was pretty amazing to eventually put that connection together.

Getting to know Bakpak a little, sharing the story of Mom and our mural hunt that day, and realizing that I was now getting to know the person behind a mural we had driven by and admired so many times was really special.

But what made it even better was getting to know their art, their style, and the person behind it all — and becoming a fan of Bakpak not just as the artist whose mural had been part of such a great memory with Mom, but as an artist and person in their own right.

Kind of cool for that memory to kind of come full circle.

I’ll make a seperate post later showing the amazing work Bakpak did in Flint for the mural festival and Flint Public Art Project this year…. It’s pretty cool.

#bakpakdurden #murals #muralhunt #artandmemories #goodtimes

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Last week, the artists enjoyed a night at @simmer_rooftop - the spot that has some of the best views of downtown! If you haven’t been yet, definitely go enjoy a cocktail/mocktail after dinner at @sauceitalianflint at the @hiltongardeninnflintdowntown 🍝🍸

#freecitymuralfestival #flintpublicartproject #hilton

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Recap from Saturday’s Free City Art Jam! Check out the artwork from Local Artists (with Guest Appearance from Ricky Watts!)

Local music from Afrobotk, DJ Phizyx & Big Donut!!

What a solid way to end an art-filled week!

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New mural alert! 🔔 For Free City Mural Fest 2026
522 Buckham Alley, Flint, MI
@flintpublicart

An alley within an alley = 2 views baby!!
Thank you for having me! 💀🤪

#flintmurals #flintpublicartproject #freecitymuralfestival #mural #afrosurrealism

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