Love Mural by Amy Stephens and Justin Simmons

Details

Love

Artist: Amy Stephens & Justin “Just” Simmons

Created in: 2018

Partners: Texas Commission on the Arts, Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau, Downtown Arlington

Amy Stephens and Justin Simmons’ Love radiates warmth and optimism, transforming a busy intersection into an open invitation for connection. We join the story at the height of the action, just as a figure pulls back the brick wall of the building to reveal a world of love inside.

The word “LOVE” stretches across the facade in vibrant, graffiti-inspired lettering, underscored by shapes of a city skyline. Also included are splashes of colorful hearts, shapes and symbolic touches including words like “CREATE” and “PEACE”. The entire design evokes a strong sense of movement and hope.

In its spirit and execution, the mural serves as more than decoration: it’s a declaration. Simmons, who describes himself as a “spiritual urban street artist”, worked in partnership with the tenant at the time (HELP Center for LGBTQ+ Health) to remind passersby that love, peace, and creativity can not only reinvigorate the side of a building but change the world.

About the Artists

Amy Stephens

Born and raised in Texas, Amy Stephens has had a lifelong passion for art. She began her professional art career as a muralist in 2012 and has completed many public art murals across North Texas. With decades of experience in foundry work and glass-blowing as well as other mediums, her work has been showcased in multiple national exhibitions across the country. In addition to her teaching and advising roles in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Texas at Arlington, Stephens has also served as a hot shop instructor at a local nonprofit glass school and gallery and has served in leadership roles for the Texas Sculpture Association.  

Instagram:  @astephensart 

Justin "Just" Simmons

The creative journey of Justin “Just” Simmons, a self-taught artist, has taken him from walls to canvas. Growing up in Muskogee, Oklahoma during the rise of Hip Hop culture, he absorbed the energy of films like Beat Street and Wild Style, and television like Good Times, which helped shape his visual voice.

In his Fort Worth-based studio practice, Simmons harnesses the immediacy of urban art and marries it with the discipline and nuance of fine art. He describes the shift from aerosol to acrylic and oil as both “challenging yet rewarding,” requiring a patience and control very different from his graffiti roots. Still, he continues to embrace his signature style of bold colors, saturated palettes, and dynamic forms.

Beyond style alone, his work is inspired by his Christian faith and the themes of redemption, morality and social commentary. Simmons cites spiritual narratives as a bedrock for many of his pieces and deliberately uses art as a platform for community-engaged dialogue.

Instagram: @justinjustsimmons

About the Downtown Arlington Public Art Program 

The Downtown Arlington Public Art Program seeks to engage and inspire our community through art in public spaces. This mural was funded in part by the Arlington Cultural Tourism Council in 2017, the Texas Commission on the Arts Storefront Improvement Grant, and property owner contributions. To find more public art in Downtown Arlington, visit the links at the bottom of this webpage. Downtown Arlington is the Arlington Cultural District.