Music City is known for a lot of things, namely music, but Nashville has quickly becoming a hub for groundbreaking and eye-catching art.
One of the newest art projects discussed at a Metro Arts meeting on Thursday will honor Nashville's history, highlighting the role Nashville played in the Civil Rights movement, from integrating public schools to staging sit-ins.
"You can't put up a bronze bust to one person, because one person didn't change the course of history." Jennifer Cole, executive director for Metro Arts, explained. "Hundreds and thousands of people did."
After being approached by the Civil Rights Veterans Association, Metro Arts started work on a new public art project that will honor Nashville's Civil Rights movement.
The project, called Witness Walls, will be four different walls adorned with art, two of which will be curved and two will be straight.
The $350,000 project has been in the works for about two years and will use brand new technology to make it something people have never experienced before.
"It's multi-dimensional, so you cannot just see it, you can touch it." Cole said.
Oakland landscape architect Walter Hood was chosen by Metro Arts to lead the project.
"He went to a historically black college and grew up in the south, and we think he's the perfect artist to do this piece." Cole explained.
Hood, an accomplished artist, has been working with local Civil Rights veterans for the past two years to make sure the art truly represents Nashville's history, and he's hoping that their stories will translate to those who visit the Witness Walls.
"They will feel the spirit that something really profound happened in this place." Hood said in a 2014 interview.
Metro Arts hopes Witness Walls will be more than a piece of art, but a reminder of Nashville's past, and a look at the city's triumphs.
"This art is really not just part of the city collection, but part of the city history." Cole said.
The structural drawings were submitted this week and construction is set to begin later this year with hopes to have Witness Walls completed and open to the public by the end of the year.
For more information, you can visit the project's website.
