We Inspire
2012 1,000 sq ft painted vinyl
Site: Railroad Overpass (MLK Blvd. at University St.)
Artists: 72 students from Brown International and Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy
Partners: Tennessee Arts Commission, Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, MLK Neighborhood Association, Brown International Academy, Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy, UTC P.A.W.S. and UHON, Norfolk Southern Railroad Company
Description: Motivated by the possibility of effecting real community change, students from Brown International and Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academies met in workshops to articulate which words best described their hopes and dreams for a better neighborhood. Words like CHANGE, INVEST, PLANT and TRUST were defined as words whose actions could cause a “tipping point” of neighborhood transformation. These words were then painted onto banners now installed on the overpass, transforming its neglected appearance.
We Inspire was funded by Tennessee Arts Commission and Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga and is part of Mark Making’s MLK Boulevard Mural Series.