Wilcox Tunnel Mural debuts in Chattanooga

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – You wouldn’t expect to find artwork on your drive home.

But the Wilcox Tunnel now has a new, brighter look.

A Mural got unveiled this morning on each end of the tunnel.

Organizers say it’s a way to beautify the neighborhood.

As part of Public Art Chattanooga’s, Art in the Neighborhood program, this seventy-five thousand dollar project was awarded to the Eastdale Neighborhood Association.

Mayor Andy Berke says “One of the things that we know is that a really beautiful place enhances a neighborhood. Over the last few years we’ve made tremendous improvements to the Wilcox Tunnel, and I’ve heard from people who live in the area that they really appreciate it.”

Over 200 residents participated in the painting of the mural canvas, at neighborhood Paint Parties, here and in Minneapolis.

“Lots of people from the neighborhood participated, even I drew a little bit of this, uh, because they got everybody involved and now we have a beautiful piece on the outside of the tunnel.”

The concept for the mural was developed with collaboration with the Neighborhood Association over the last two years. Then a panel of neighborhood residents and art and design professionals selected Greta McLain as the mural artist.

The Director of Public Art for Chattanooga, Kayelyn Kirnie says “Greta is known for her community based murals, so when you’re talking about impactful public art, economic development is big, but community development is also really important, and Greta is an artist very skilled at that, and she has done deep listening with this neighborhood, she has done photo shoots with the community, you see actual youth from this area in the mural.”

Greta McLain is the artist who created the mural.

“The mural’s called ‘See Me Shine.’ And the idea is when you see kids, in general, we want to project their beautiful, bright future. So when we see them, even if they’re from, you know, whatever neighborhood they’re from, whatever their streets look like, we still want to see them, having success, see them shining. So this is us seeding that, planting that, in this community.”