Blount County residents and visitors will soon notice an eye-catching mural located at Bike & Tri at the corner of bustling East Broadway Avenue and North Washington Street in Maryville. Part of the state-wide Walls for mural festival, the mural will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing and protecting women’s constitutional right to vote.
The project and nonprofit, DMA-events, were founded by traveling journalists Kristin Luna and her husband Scott van Velsor who run tourism marketing agency Odinn Media and the popular Camels & Chocolate travel blog. After assigned to write a story on the impact of women in Tennessee’s history, Luna was inspired to pursue a project honoring women’s right to vote. Set to kick off in mid-July, the mural project utilizes female artists-only who create original works of art with full creative expression.
The mural festival spans 440 miles across the state and in early 2020, Luna, put out a call to any city, chamber, CVB or small business in Tennessee who wanted to be part of Walls for Women. DMA works with each city or county to establish the location and building, as well as to arrange the artist and accommodations. The organization was met with an enthusiastic response from towns of all sizes and have 10 confirmed locations—with one being Maryville, Tennessee.
Blount Partnership Director of Tourism Kim Mitchell played an integral role in bringing the mural to Maryville.
“We’ve had an ongoing relationship with Odinn Media, and when we found out about the mural festival we knew this project could help beautify our downtown while celebrating women and this pivotal moment in history,” said Mitchell. “It’s a great fit because we have a public arts budget and the perfect location on the Bike & Tri building.”
Will Norris, the owner of Bike & Tri, considers the project a great synergy. A supporter of the mission, he decided to invest in fixing up the building in preparation for the mural installation.
“We’re thrilled that our building was chosen for the Walls for Women mural,” said Norris. “The mural will be profound, so want the building to look its best. We plan to invest in improving the look of the building in lead up to the mural painting. Overall, we feel the mural and these improvements will not only celebrate women’s rights, but will enhance the overall allure of Maryville’s downtown.”
The artist selected for Maryville’s mural is Nicole Salgar based in Miami, Florida—a notable women’s portrait and nature artist. Salgar will provide the nonprofit’s board of directors with a rendering to approve prior to installation. Starting Aug. 4, the mural will take approximately two weeks to complete, will be nearly 100 feet long and should live on for more than 10 years.
In addition to the mural, there will also be a voter registration component taking place during the installation.
“Voter participation is nowhere near the levels it needs to be for a functioning democracy,” said Luna. “While the murals honor the ratification of the 19th amendment and are integral in the beautification of downtown areas, we also want to see this project lead to an increase in Tennessee’s voter turnout, both this election season but every year going forward. We plan to have registration booths at all locations during the painting of the murals.”
A celebratory launch event will be held to unveil the mural, although the date is currently to be determined.
More information on Walls for Women can be found at wallsforwomen.com.