Photographs by Amy Vaughn

They started popping up during the city's darkest hours. As the coronavirus pandemic shuttered restaurants and other small businesses around Seattle, shop owners began commissioning artists to paint vibrant murals on the plywood boards covering their stores. Some pieces were born from necessity, after vandals knocked out windows. Others emerged more intentionally. In either case, their creativity has been infectious. Walk down Pike Street in Capitol Hill and you'll now encounter entire blocks of vivid images and inspiring messages, a tableau for our times. They don't mask the hardship that prompted their appearance; hopefully, they'll soon be moved elsewhere as businesses reopen. But it's worth checking out these works in their natural habitats before they disappear. Or, you can just keep scrolling.