If you’ve driven around Goodlettsville recently, you may have noticed utility boxes at main intersections wrapped in vinyl painting displays. And, if you’ve pulled into the Goodlettsville Visitor’s Center lately, you’ve likely seen the new 20' x 20' mural painted onto the side of the building. Collectively, these art projects have been named Goodlettsville’s Mural and Art Tour, made possible by a 100% reimbursable state grant from the Tennessee Tourism & Hospitality Recovery Fund. If all of this is new news to you, please come see Goodlettsville’s Mural and Art Tour for yourself.
In January the City launched the Utility Box Art Program with a call for local artists to transform eleven (11) utility boxes into visually appealing, placemaking landmarks throughout the community. Designs for the first round were to relate to the culture, history, and/or the landscape of Goodlettsville.
Artists of any age were encouraged to apply over a period of a few weeks as long as they were a resident of Goodlettsville, employed in Goodlettsville, or currently attended school in Goodlettsville. A group of Goodlettsville staff with the help of local students reviewed all the designs and selected eleven (11) designs and three (3) alternative designs. The designs were then sent for review and a mock up for a visually appealing layout on the boxes before being printed on vinyl. The installation process brought the visuals to life.
“We were blown away by the quality of the artists’ submissions, as well as, the implementation of the wraps into the finished product. We hope the box wraps are just the beginning of more artistic projects like these,” said Allison Baker, project manager.
All eleven (11) utility boxes were wrapped at the end of May. These are the utility box locations and artists:
- 105 S. Main Street - Artwork by David Gillihan - Historic Bank of Goodlettsville
- 150 Long Hollow Pike - Artwork by Jeanne Golden - Monarch Butterfly
- Long Hollow Pike under Interstate 65 next to the on ramp to I-65 South - Artwork by Mary Jean Murphy - Moss-Wright Park Trail
- 985 Conference Drive - Artwork by Jeff Clark - Clark Emerald Trail
- 908 Conference Drive - Artwork by Glenda Joy Clark - Fall at Happy Hollow
- 846 Conference Drive - Artwork by Kaedrin Pelkey - Bird in a Tree by a Goodlettsville Middle Art Student
- 808 Conference Drive - Artwork by Debby Locke - Hound and Tri-Star
- 100 Mission Ridge - Artwork by Janey Deweese - Bicycle with Flower Basket
- 307 Long Hollow Pike - Artwork by Susan Mayo - Union Hill Baptist
- 405 Long Hollow Pike - Artwork by Carolyn Hester - Hummingbird
- Long Hollow Pike at Loretta Drive Intersection - Artwork by Reatha Davis - Kids in Creek at Moss-Wright Park
The newest mural in the City of Goodlettsville was completed in April on the west exterior wall of the Visitors Center located at 705 Caldwell Drive and is playfully named the “Blame It All On My Roots” mural. This photo worthy mural depicts history and landscape of Goodlettsville which includes historic sites, Little League World Series, Goodlettsville residents who are members of the Grand Ole Opry and/or Country Music Hall of Fame, the beautiful landscape, and Music City in the distance. The muralist is Kristy Oakley Wiginton of “Where the Art Is”. This is Kristy’s second mural in Goodlettsville. Her first was the GOOD LETTS VILLE mural located on the East Avenue side of Rust and Ruffles Boutique on Main Street.
“The City of Goodlettsville embarked on this place-making endeavor not only to create visually appealing landmarks but to also celebrate and involve local artists in contributing to the beautification of the city,” said Kimberly Lynn, Goodlettsville Director of Tourism.