Artist Kyle Holbrook Unveils Powerful Mural in Seattle Honoring Peace and National Gun Violence Awareness Month

SEATTLE, WA – On Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at 11:00 AM internationally renowned muralist Kyle Holbrook will unveil a bold new public artwork at the corner of E. Spruce St. and 12th Ave on the side of 160 12th Ave, in Seattle’s Central District. The piece, a vibrant and emotionally charged anti-gun violence mural, marks the 49th state in Holbrook’s national “Stop Gun Violence Mural Tour,” and coincides with National Gun Violence Awareness Month.

This mural arrives just days after the one-year anniversary of the tragic shooting of 17-year-old Amarr Murphy-Paine, who was killed in June 2024 outside Garfield High School while bravely attempting to break up a fight. His death shook Seattle to its core and became a heartbreaking symbol of youth courage lost to senseless violence.

“This mural is for Amarr. For his family. For every young person who’s had their future stolen. And for the kids still walking past Garfield every day wondering if they’re next,” said Kyle Holbrook, founder of the MLK Mural Project and Moving Lives of Kids. “June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, but for communities like this, every month is awareness month. We’re creating a visual reminder that peace is possible—but it takes all of us.”

Unlike many of Holbrook’s expansive, building-sized murals, this Seattle piece is smaller in scale but immense in presence, designed in a Banksy-inspired style with a three-dimensional box that juts out from the wall. Painted in vivid green and yellow—a tribute to both Seattle’s natural identity and the beloved, now-relocated Seattle SuperSonics—the artwork reflects both local pride and public grief. The color palette also nods to the Olympic spirit, connecting Seattle’s legacy to global calls for peace.

“This piece is more intimate than my usual murals,” said Holbrook. “It’s meant to stop people in their tracks—like violence does. The three-dimensional form punches out from the wall and into your awareness. It’s small, but you feel it. That’s the point.”

“Green is Seattle. Yellow is hope. And the Supersonics colors mean something here—they remind us of things taken away. Like our team. Like our children. But they also remind us what we can build again—legacy, unity, and peace.”

Seattle has been no stranger to the nationwide gun violence crisis. In 2024 alone, the city saw over 700 incidents of gunfire. Community groups have since intensified their calls for stronger legislation, education, and public healing spaces—making this mural both timely and deeply rooted.

National Gun Violence Awareness Month

June is observed across the U.S. as National Gun Violence Awareness Month, a time when communities unite to remember victims, support survivors, and demand policy change. It is also when people wear orange—the color hunters wear for safety—to honor lives lost to gun violence. Organizations such as Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action, and Wear Orange lead awareness campaigns during this month.

“We need more than thoughts and prayers. We need unity, action, and visibility,” said Holbrook. “That’s what murals do—they give memory a voice and grief a wall to speak from. Amarr’s story deserves to be seen. His courage deserves to be honored.”

This Seattle mural becomes part of Holbrook’s global Violence Awareness Campaign, which includes work in 43 countries, countless cities, and thousands of square feet of public wall space from Chicago to Paris to Johannesburg. In each city, Holbrook creates not just art, but a public moment for truth-telling and community healing.

The mural was funded and sponsored by the MLK Mural Project and Moving Lives of Kids, which also secured all necessary permissions for installation. As with Holbrook’s projects across the country and around the world, the Seattle piece was made possible through the organization’s commitment to using public art as a tool for social change, youth engagement, and community healing.

Event Details:
📍 Location: 160 12th Ave, Seattle, WA (E. Spruce St. & 12th Ave)
🗓 Unveiling:Tuesday June 10, 2025
⏰ Time: 11:00 AM

KOMO News 4 Seattle, February 25, 2021