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Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon partnered with Dogwood Arts to commission a permanent public memorial to remember the more than 600 Knox County friends and family members whom we’ve lost to COVID-19. The memorial is also a tribute to the communitywide sacrifices and heroic efforts taken to safeguard our most vulnerable residents during the pandemic.

The new, more visible memorial replaced the temporary COVID-19 memorial that was on the front lawn of the City County Building. Flags were planted in the lawn, commemorating individuals who lost their lives to the virus. See City and County Mayors Unveil COVID-19 Memorial (12-30-20).

Nationally acclaimed artist Kelsey Montague and her team painted the mural on one of the Clinch Avenue viaduct underpasses at World's Fair Park. Her memorial mural in Knoxville features a motif of brightly-colored flying birds soaring into a brilliant blue archway near the base of the Sunsphere. It will be possible for a person to position himself or herself at the left of the mural and appear to be releasing the fanciful flock. Montague has created large-scale interactive street murals around the world, and each piece provides an opportunity for viewers to become part of a “living work of art.”

Check out this time-lapse video of the mural from start to finish.




Check out a photo gallery of the mural from start to finish.