ABOUT Banks
Banks Compton embarked on his art career during high school, where he sold pet portraits to earn money for his first car. He also spent summers in New Orleans, LA, working at Kern Studios, where he helped build Mardi Gras floats. However, his high school education was cut short as he gained early acceptance to the Rhode Island School of Design at the age of 17. There, he pursued a four-year degree in painting. While attending college, Banks also worked in New York City for a luxury event planning company, creating event decor for prestigious venues such as the Hearst Castle in California, the Rainbow Room inside the Rockefeller Center, and private homes across the Hamptons. Due to the pandemic and the need to evacuate his European Honors Program held in Rome, Italy, Banks found himself seeking employment. He eventually relocated to Phoenix, AZ, where he crossed paths with muralist Taylor Victoria Nelson and apprenticed under her guidance for several months before venturing out on his own. Today, Banks is a full-time muralist with extensive experience transforming various locations throughout the country.
CV
Born in 1999 in Birmingham, AL
Resides and works in Foley, AL
Education/training:
2017-2021 BA, Fine Art Painting, conferred with honors, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
2016 pre-college Program, Painting, The New School, New York, NY
Solo and group exhibitions:
2024 solo exhibition, Southern Spirits, Eastern Shore Art Center, Fairhope, AL
2023 solo exhibition, Banks Compton Solo Show, The Studio by Sarah Coleman Photography, Pensacola, FL
2023 group exhibition, Robin Nance Metz Art Competition, Shelby County Art Center, Columbiana, AL
2022 solo exhibition, Artist Showcase, Solo Show, Renaissance Square, Phoenix, AZ
2022 group exhibition, FOCAL POINTS: Minimal VS Maximal, FOUND:RE Contemporary, Phoenix, AZ
2021 group exhibition, Thesis Show, Gelman Gallery, Providence, RI
2020 group exhibition, Tiny Biennial, Temple University, Rome, Italy
2019 group exhibition, Painting Departmental Show, Gelman Gallery, Providence, RI
2019 group exhibition, Sophomore Show, Memorial Hall, Providence, RI
2018 group exhibition, Painting a Day, Memorial Hall, Providence, RI
2016 solo exhibition, Banks Compton, Bryan W. Whitfield Gallery, Demopolis, AL
2015 group exhibition, Delta Illuminated, The Artists’ Place, Mobile, AL
Mural festivals:
2023 Fraser Mountain Mural Fest, Fraser, CO
2023 Cubed – Pensacola Museum of Art, Pensacola, FL
2023 Pensacola Mural Fest, Pensacola, FL
Awards, grants, and residencies:
2023 Robin Nance Metz Art Competition, Best in Painting, Shelby County Arts Council, Columbiana, AL
2023 Fraser Mountain Mural Fest 2023, People’s Choice 1st place, Fraser, CO
2023 Fraser Mountain Mural Fest 2023, Artists’ Choice, Fraser, CO
2023 Pensacola Mural Fest 2023, People’s Choice 1st place, Pensacola, FL
2022 ALProHealth Grant Project, three murals funded, Linden, AL
2020 European Honors Program Recipient, Rome, Italy
Selected press:
Michelle Matthews, “This Alabama Mural Painter Brings Small Towns Together” in AL.COM, 2022
Bill Snyder, “Mural Artist Paints up Pascagoula” in WLOX, 2023
Tamika Alexander, “Downtown Northport Apartment Gest a New Look” in WVUA, 2023
Tamika Alexander, “Credit Union in Alberta Gets a Splash of History on its Façade” in WVUA, 2023
Savannah Evanoff, “Realistically Whimsical” in Inweekly, 2023
Kelly Sierra, “Five Artists Unveil New Murals Downtown for 2023 Pensacola Mural Fest” in WEAR, 2023
Bibliography:
Designed and edited by Jeff Hamada, Tomorrow’s Talent III, Booooooom, printed Montreal, CA, 2023 by BookArt
Professional experience:
2022-Present freelance Mural Artist, Orange 209 LLC., Completed projects: AL, AZ, CO, FL, MS, and RI
2023 mural painting summer program leader, Rotary Youth Club, Fairhope, AL
2023 fine art and mural painting summer program leader, University Charter School, Livingston, AL
2022 fine art and mural painting summer program leader, University Charter School, Livingston, AL
2019-2021 custom décor artist, David Monn LLC., New York, NY
2017-2018 papier mache artist, Kern Studios, New Orleans, LA
What People Are Saying
“Banks Compton sits in one of his grandmother's rocking chairs and admires his most recent mural in Linden, Alabama. It's one of three murals he painted this year in the Black Belt city, population 2,000. Compton, who spent his early childhood in Mobile before the family moved to Demopolis, is quickly becoming known for his vibrant murals that are helping to bring communities together.”
— AL.COM
“A new mural on the wall of Alabama One credit union in Alberta is a bit more than a nice painting. The mural, done by Demopolis born artist Banks Compton, is a symbol of the the rebirth of the community that was badly ravaged by the 2011 tornado.”
— The Tuscaloosa News
“So many times we’ve heard about the pandemic ruining businesses or personal journeys. In the case of Banks Compton, the pandemic actually helped him find what he really wanted to do.”