Street Artist Adrien Saporiti with the  mural he painted five years ago. The image has since gone viral on social media.

NASHVILLE. When a beloved street mural— one that had become a selfie souvenier for thousands of locals and visitors— was recently vandalized with tar, the Nashville community responded.

The Tennessean reports that the owners of the 12 South building worked with Nashville street artist Adrien Saporiti to clean the wall and restore the popular “I Believe in Nashville” mural at 2700 12th Ave. S.

Saporiti painted the mural five years ago, when the community was in a flux of change. A celebration of the anniversary was held, and the restoration of the landmark was cheered.

A native of Nashville, Saporiti is one of the city’s most popular street artists, and operates a t-shirt and apparel shop called DCXV Industries. Days after the vandalism, Saporiti wrote in his blog: “The mural will be repainted, and I hope it can continue to serve as a symbol for unity, positivity, and peace for anyone who loves this city.”

These recent headlines brought to mind the value of such public works of art, offering a sense of community identity, building a fondness of place, and infusing good design into our daily path. One of our favorites is the Tomato Fest mural in East Nashville.

Greta Hollar poses at the KayBob’s/Pizza Perfect in Hillsboro Village, 1602 21st Ave. South. She writes about Nashville for her blog on the Huffington Post. 

Huffington Post blog writer Greta Hollar made a pilgrimage to each of her favorite Nashville murals.

Visit Greta list of 18 Nashville Murals You Have to Visit.  

 

 

 

 

New murals are also planned for Nashville’s historic Germantown neighborhood at Little’s Fish Market.

Historic Germantown recieved a 2017 Creative Placemaking grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission for the Windows on Germantown Mural Project. 

 

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