Shreveport’s Amazon Center leads the way, is first to dip into local art and history

SHV 1, Shreveport’s gigantic 2.5 million square foot Amazon Fulfillment Center, has something no other Amazon facility anywhere in the world has — large scale art created by local artists featuring Shreveport landmarks and subjects.

The Red River, the Louisiana Hayride, Freeman and Harris/Orlandeaux’s food culture, and the iconic Kings Highway duck pond are now a part of Amazon.

Shreveport-born artist KaDavien Baylor, who has created a variety of colorful murals in Shreveport and cities around the U.S., said it all started with a conversation with Thomas Stultz, the head of SHV 1’s Human Relations department.  

“He had a passion to shape his facility to be more like Shreveport for his employees, so he gave me that and told me to run with it,” Baylor said. “I knew he wanted a diverse representation inside the facility, he wanted it to feel like Shreveport. I took it a step further on behalf of the company, Amazon, and their values and how I could bring those things together and represent everything that he wanted to see.”

Baylor said he put out a “mini call to artists” on Facebook asking for local illustrators to take part. Eight artists, Bailey Harris, Haley Kirton, Hillary Frazier, Paige Powell, Victoria Nicole Pouncy, Alex Richardson, Tica Johnson and Cassidy Adams took up the challenge.

Each was given a descriptive “mission.”

“I gave each of them an independent descriptive call with three elements to it- the first was their artwork had to represent a certain landmark or subject relative to Shreveport,” Baylor said. “The second was to include a quote that could encourage employees. The third was to highlight an Amazon product.”

An example was artist Paige Powell’s call.

“The local Shreveport cultural representative was the Louisiana Hayride, and the company inspiration quote was ‘Work with Purpose.’” Baylor said. “The Amazon product in her illustration was the Amazon Kindle.”

Also included in the finished product were the “From Shreveport, with Love” mural — a design of Baylor’s painted on the side of a Crockett Street building — and hands pouring Amazon boxes into the Red River.

As lead on the project, Baylor suggested placement of the works and coordinated with the company on items that were specifically requested. All in all, he is thrilled with the way the wall art just inside the main entrance looks. Other pieces of work not used in the murals will be printed on posters to be displayed around the large facility. He hopes it sets a standard for other Amazon facilities to follow.

He is also happy that he was able to bring in a range of local artists to create.

“I don’t represent the entire spectrum of humanity,” he said, laughing. “I wanted to see what everyone else could bring to the table. It was just fun, collaboration at work, people creating new experiences.”