Watts muralist Mike Norice is the subject of a new streaming documentary

For muralist Mike Norice art is more than just about creating beautiful colorful murals to beautify the neighborhoods where he grew up.

To the South Central native art is life. Art is community. It can help save and shape your future. Art is an inspirational story that he wants to share with as many people as he can reach.

And after launching a mural project meant to encompass everything art means to him while inspiring his community, the renowned artist will be reaching a whole new audience as the subject of a new documentary titled “Artfully United.”

Named after a mural project Norice launched in 2017 by the same name to create massive murals with inspirational messages, the 93-minute documentary is now streaming on major online platforms.

“I want people to definitely be inspired and that they can do whatever they put their minds to no matter their circumstance. I wanted people to see and know what I’ve been through and what I accomplished and that if you put your mind to it you can do it as well,” said the Watts-born artist, who was busy creating his latest mural at Audubon Middle School in Los Angeles with the help of some of the students.

While he’s also known for famous murals including portraits of Kendrick Lamar, the Obamas and Tupac Shakur, the documentary, from producer and actor Christopher Walters, follows Norice as he creates the series of inspirational murals in underserved neighborhoods around Los Angeles as part of the artist’s Artfully United project.

Through the project, Norice has created more than 20 large scale murals so far adorned with inspirational messages like “HARMONY,” “DREAM BIG,” “FORGIVENESS,” and “BELIEVE,” painted in all caps by Norice.

“The driving force behind this project is to inspire the people in the inner city, kind of the forgotten neighborhoods of the inner cities in Los Angeles and we’re going to expand to other cities as well. It’s just designed to uplift the people,” Norice said.

But as he creates the inspirational murals the documentary goes much deeper into his life and the forces that shaped the streets where he grew up in poverty while looking at his family dynamics, touching on issues of hope, advocacy and how art can change lives.

“I knew about his personal story also and the idea for the documentary was certainly to cover the mural tour, but also with the understanding that we were going to chronicle not only his activism but feature him and his incredible personal story,” Walters said.

Saved by Art

Norice was born in the summer of 1980 in Watts to a schoolteacher mother and a father who was imprisoned when Norice was young. By age 2, Norice was already showing talent as an artist when he began to draw. He remembers the encouragement he got from his mother and kindergarten teacher who praised his talents.

“A lot of my art reflects what I’ve been through and what I would like to see in life. It has added a sense of passion and depth and purpose to my art,” he said.

But while his art flourished, financial troubles grew as well and at one point the family was homeless, living in his mother’s Ford Maverick for about a year.

“The documentary gets into my family because it shows why I am the way I am. Everyone has a backstory and why they do what they do,  so I think it was very important to show my lineage,” Norice said.

The family spent some time in Fresno before returning to Los Angeles where Norice realized he needed to get even more serious about his art.

So he enrolled in Southwest College and graduated in 2000 with a General Science degree. Next, he attended The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in downtown Los Angeles, graduating in 2002 with a degree in Apparel & Manufacturing.

Norice notes that the importance of education is also an important message in the documentary.

“One of the main messages is that when you find your gift, then educate yourself within that gift,” Norice said.

Sneakers to film

Besides being a celebrated muralist Norice is also a successful sneaker designer who has made custom shoes for celebrities like Elton John, Madonna, Mariah Carey and Tom Cruise.

Walters met Norice when he bought sneakers from him at the artist’s former Los Angeles shop. The two became friends and when the filmmaker found out about the Artfully United project he knew it was the right time to do a film about his friend.

“He wanted to do something meaningful to bring people together to create peace and to brand positive messages in these communities. So I was looking to do something more serious in my career at that point,” Walters said. “And it has been wonderful,” he added of the documentary experience.

Like his murals, for Norice the documentary paints an accurate picture of his life as an artist.

“I think it turned out really well,” he said of the documentary. “It pretty much encompasses everything that I stand for and everything that I’m doing in the community and everything that’s to come. It’s a really great overall perspective of me and what I’m doing with Artfully United,” Norice said.

The documentary is now available on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google and YouTube.