Are Atlanta’s new Coca-Cola Company murals street art or ads? You decide.

Is corporate-sponsored street art a mural or an advertisement, or both? It’s a good question, and a timely one, because The Coca-Cola Company recently sponsored eight murals in eight Atlanta neighborhoods.

Atlantans can enjoy murals on the BeltLine, on random walls and even basketball courts. Many have a counterculture vibe; some are political or connected with a particular community. But there’s been a shift. Many for-profit companies, like Coke, are now using street art to appeal to consumers.

To many people, this might not matter, but for mural geeks who are truly disappointed every time a beloved mural is replaced by an ad, it does.

Consider this mural/ad spectrum: A giant hand-painted liquor bottle with “please drink responsibly” written below is clearly an ad thinly disguised as a mural. An artist’s unique artwork with the sponsor’s name inconspicuously located in a corner is clearly a mural.

In between is a grey area mixing the artist’s original artwork and the sponsor’s content. The Coca-Cola Company’s initiative spans the full breadth of this grey area.

(Full disclosure — Arthur Rudick worked at The Coca-Cola Company for 32 years before retiring in 2016. He is the founder of streetartmap.org.)

The mural-versus-ad question becomes even more complicated because Coke isn’t just any company. It’s a pillar of the Atlanta community, and its advertising is an art form in itself.

“They are such a staple in Atlanta,” says Greg Mike, creative director of the Coca-Cola mural project, “so integrating them into a piece that was ‘all things ATL’ was pretty fitting and seamless. There’s been some incredible art referencing Coke bottles, dating back to the Warhol and Lichtenstein era, so it’s an been an honor to continue the tradition in our hometown.”

Take a look at the results of the Coca-Cola mural project and decide the mural-versus-ad question for yourself (or just enjoy the artwork).

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Location — 34 Irby Drive, Buckhead

Multi-media artist Lela Brunet explores the dynamic tension between the graceful female form and rigid geometric constructions. This mural features a joyful woman’s face visually buffeted by large rainbow-colored circles. The Vitamin Water logo sits apart from the main design towards a corner.

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Location — 1802 Connally Drive, East Point (on one wall of the Black Art in America gallery)

Fabian Williams (aka Occasional Superstar) combines art with activism to highlight important issues and to uplift underserved communities by representing African American role models as superheroes. In this work, his four subjects are presented almost as religious icons, complete with green and yellow halos. The casual observer might easily miss the subtle reference to the Sprite brand — it’s hinted at by the color scheme. (Detail shown here.)

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Location — 1010 White Street, West End

Illustrator and business owner Caleb Morris got his artistic start painting and sculpting Mardi Gras floats. “I hope viewers take away a sense of pride for the neighborhood after checking out the mural,” he says. “If they’re just passing through, I hope it helps to express the feeling and energy of the people that live there and the unique look of the area. I think I was able to pull it off by playing with the scale of the bottles and not worrying about being literal.”

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Location — 810 N. Highland Avenue, Virginia Highland

“This piece reflects the liveliness, growth and acceptance I feel here in my hometown,” says Helen Choi, a member of the blockbuster artists’ collective the Lotus Eaters Club. “I hope that people are always inspired to cultivate love, inclusion and growth for everyone who calls Atlanta home.” For Choi, Coca-Cola branding isn’t just about the signature red and white logo. She wanted her mural to shine a light on what she believes the Coke logo represents: “Diversity, beauty and energy. That really is what makes our city so special.”

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Location — 1242 Glenwood Avenue, East Atlanta

Greg Mike’s piece features his recurring “live loud” mantra. As he describes it: “To be loud doesn’t literally mean to be the loudest in the room, or being loud audibly with your voice. Living loud is living your life on max volume, the highest frequency. Whatever your passion may be, whether it’s art, sports, music or anything you’re into, it’s about putting everything into it and pursuing your dreams and goals and bringing your vision to life.”

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Location — 410 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Poncey Highland

“I hope the wall can inspire others to draw, paint or express themselves in a way that feels good for them,” says self-taught artist Aesek. Coke shared some brand material with the artist that he says inspired him. “When I saw an image of two glass bottles clinking together, I knew I wanted to incorporate that into the artwork. I enjoy compositions of floating objects and shapes.”

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Location — Colony Square, Midtown

Multidisciplinary fine artist, tattoo artist and muralist Frank Dunson (aka Paper Frank) says about his work: “You should enjoy the ride or journey no matter the destination. I’ve realized there’s no end point or ceiling; you can go as far and as wide as you wish. The only one to stop you is you. I wanted to display my characters blasting through space, with a cool cosmic theme so I made the rocket ship a Coke bottle with the soda bubbles propelling it.” (Detail shown here.)

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Location — 335 Peters Street, near Atlanta University Center

Fine artist and illustrator Travis Love was influenced by graffiti and skateboarding culture growing up. Love incorporates the colors of Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College, along with tones of brown, into a beautiful mosaic with Coke branding. Here’s the artist’s message: “I would like people of the HBCU area to feel a sense of pride and hope that their presence is being felt, and that they are included within the Coke brand and not forgotten about,” he says. He hopes that his mural stands as “a beacon of hope” that will inspire young people to continue their education.

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So, are these murals or ads, and does it matter? We’d love to hear your comments.

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Arthur Rudick created the Atlanta Street Art Map in 2017 after retiring from a successful career as an engineer with Eastman Kodak and The Coca-Cola Company. His first experience of art was seeing an Alexander Calder mobile as a child in the Pittsburgh airport. Rudick is ArtsATL’s street-art expert and a regular contributor.