Lowertown Pioneer: Ta-coumba Aiken, the ‘Mayor of Lowertown’
Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—Even if you’ve never met Ta-coumba Aiken, you’ve most likely seen his artwork around the Twin Cities. He’s the creator behind the iconic 117-by-33-foot-high Lowertown “Be Nice!” mural that greets those stepping off the light rail at Union Depot, as well as the beautifully decorated fireplace on the fourth floor of the George Latimer Central Library and the ceramic tile mural on the parking ramp at 7th and Robert. It seems his work is everywhere. I had been a patron at Wells Fargo bank in Downtown for two decades before it dawned on me that the 80-by-21-foot mural behind the teller station was his handiwork.
