Rock 'CYFI' Martinez to Create New Mural at Minnesota's Orchestra Hall

Orchestra Hall has long been known for the signature acoustic cubes that cascade down its backstage wall, but soon the home of the Minnesota Orchestra will boast a new signature element: a 25 foot mural on the 12th Street side of the venue. Created by artist Rock “CYFI” Martinez, the mural is part of a Meet Minneapolis initiative to beautify downtown and welcome visitors to the Convention Center district with high-visibility public art on one of the city’s most iconic cultural buildings.  

Rock “CYFI” Martinez, who was selected through a competitive process managed by Forecast Public Arts, has a reputation for creating bright larger-than-life murals that transform urban spaces with imagination, hope and beauty. A self-taught artist and native of Tucson, Martinez now splits his time between Arizona and Minnesota, where he is widely known for his 16 x 24-foot mural of Prince, originally created for the Weisman Art Museum and subsequently exhibited at MSP airport. 

Martinez will begin work on the aerosol-painted Orchestra Hall mural on Saturday, September 26 and complete the project within two weeks. A press event is slated for Thursday, October 8 at 1 pm to share and celebrate the completed mural onsite at Orchestra Hall. 

“I wanted to do more than fill the space,” said Martinez. “I want to bring people together.” 

Meet Minneapolis launched this initiative in the spring with goals of welcoming visitors to the Convention Center gateway district, celebrating community pride and emphasizing the City’s strong culture of neighborliness.  

“Public art can make a familiar place feel new again, and the location of this mural gives us an opportunity to create a memorable welcome to downtown Minneapolis,” said Melvin Tennant, president and CEO of Meet Minneapolis. “As visitors enter the Convention Center district, they’ll encounter something unexpected, colorful and distinctly Minneapolis. We’re proud to partner on this project that will bring more energy and creativity to this important part of the city.” 

Built in 1974 as a home for the Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestra Hall is a cultural anchor on the southern end of the Nicollet Mall, sitting adjacent to the revitalized Peavy Plaza in the heart of downtown Minneapolis.

Said Minnesota Orchestra President and CEO Isaac Thompson, “Meet Minneapolis’ vision to highlight the spirit of our City through public art really resonated with us, and we’re proud Orchestra Hall can represent Minneapolis with art both within and on our venue. When we saw Rock’s proposed design it was thrilling, and we can’t wait for others to experience it. With a simple and imaginative concept, he has captured a mix of joy, playfulness and resilience that feels just right for this project and our building.” 

In May, Forecast Public Art fielded a call for experienced mural artists and subsequently engaged three finalists from the pool of applicants to develop site-responsive proposals. The finalists each presented their design concepts to a selection committee, comprising representatives from Meet Minneapolis and the Minnesota Orchestra. Martinez’s design was chosen as the selected concept in August.