The Dubliner is known for its large chalkboard backdrop for its stage, switching it up weekly for the holidays, band schedules, and just for fun.
This week, they unveiled their latest creation: a scene inspired by the blockbuster hit, “Black Panther.” The mask and necklace of the super hero is imposed into the mountains of Wakanda, the fictional country where the story takes place.
The chalk art at The Dubliner was created by Liz Dzuro. A bartender at The Irishmen (where she also does chalkboard art), she has been drawing at The Dubliner since October and gets to choose the theme each week, as well as advertise the bands and specials in an artistic way. This piece only took her an hour, she said. Some can take up to two hours to complete the roughly 12- by 6-foot chalkboard canvas.
The hardest part was researching images from the movie without spoiling it for herself, since she hasn’t seen it yet.
“I was just really into it and got it done,” she said. “Right when I was done, little kids ran up on stage and were admiring it. I’m glad this one is catching on.”
So far, she hasn’t come up with an idea for next week’s drawing.
“It came out really well,” said Emily Samide, the manager at The Dubliner. “[Customers] love it. They come in and take pictures of it, take a picture with it. That movie itself has been really powerful, so it’s really cool for people to see something celebrated by a local artist.”
The piece is fitting for the current state of pop culture—people are obsessing over the latest Marvel Comics film, quickly turning it into a cultural phenomenon. As an homage to newly crowned King T’Challa (played by Chadwick Boseman) and his alter ego, Black Panther, fans have dressed up in dashikis and African-inspired garb to viewings, many fans have already seen it multiple times, and the Atlanta airport even playfully offered a flight to Wakanda. Note, it’s only been out for a week, and it’s broken multiple box-office records (the movie earned $241.9 million over the Friday to Monday holiday weekend).
So while you might not be able to visit Wakanda in real life, you can always head to The Dubliner for a selfie opportunity. Don’t wait too long, though, as their artists will be up to something new before you know it.
On that note, Wakanda forever!