We're Painting a Giant I Love Memphis Mural, and You're Invited

We're Painting a Giant I Love Memphis Mural, and You're Invited

Over the last two years, I've taken dozens of people's pictures with my I Love Memphis sign. It's nothing fancy - just a sheet of 8.5 x 11 printer paper with "I (heart) Memphis" scrawled on it in Sharpie. The paper has started to soften on the sides from being held so much. It has a giant crease down the middle from being folded in my notebook. It's held together with tape.

The I Love Memphis sign

The problem is, there's only one sign, and there's only one me. That's where this wall comes in:

The Wall

Through a joint effort of my office (the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau), the City of Memphis and the Urban Arts Commission, this retaining wall in Cooper Young is going to be transformed into a giant replica of the I Love Memphis sign.

And it's only the first one. By mid-summer, there will be ten unique "I Love Memphis" signs painted by talented muralists all over town. Some of the murals will be designed by artists in the Urban Arts Commission's mural program. Others will be publicly submitted designs.

The first one is being painted on the retaining wall at the fancy train trestle in Cooper Young (facing Central) by the lovely and talented Brandon Marshall. It's going to be finished next week.

To kick off the project, we're having a big party in the parking lot next to the mural on Thursday, May 12th from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. There will be live music from the Wuvbirds, dancing by the New Ballet School, food and drinks, and plenty of giant post-its so that you can write the reasons you love Memphis and stick them to the wall. I'll also be giving away a pair of Wanda Jackson tickets and announcing how to enter the public-submitted design contest.

But mostly, I want you to come and take your picture with the sign. You can even hold the little one in front of the big one if you want to.

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Jarrod
Yes!
May 4, 2011 1:34pm
Andy
Very cool. The CYCA has covered graffiti on that wall numerous times over the years. Hopefully a good mural will discourage more graffiti. Thanks, Kerry!
May 4, 2011 1:47pm
Christy T
Can't wait!
May 4, 2011 1:57pm
Ginger
This is awesome! Proud to be a Memphian!
May 4, 2011 2:08pm
Memphis Godfather
great project....hope it doesn't stop with 10
May 4, 2011 2:25pm
KG
Have the other locations been decided? What about letting Memphians nominate and/or vote for the locations, really showing what people love most about Memphis?
May 4, 2011 2:27pm
Andrew Bartolotta
I am super excited to come I will bring my camera and take some photos you have really made me realize how amazing Memphis really is!!!!
May 4, 2011 3:18pm
Celtic Queen
As a CYer and someone who loves Memphis, I'm very excited about this project. Our city needs more public art.
May 4, 2011 3:20pm
Michelle
What a great project! fantastic
May 4, 2011 3:37pm
Pam Craig
just got back in town....will you be out there any other time...or only today?
May 4, 2011 7:10pm
Ashton
I love, love, love this!
May 4, 2011 7:35pm
James
What a great thing for our city and a very positive image for all to see.
May 4, 2011 8:11pm
Jimmy Thompson
excellent post i ♡ memphis!
May 5, 2011 7:15am
Deby
What a great idea!! I love it!!
May 5, 2011 10:20am
Lorraine Ferguson
How fun to see this happen! Love this creative city !!
May 5, 2011 11:18am
Planet MarTay
Wonderful idea! I'll plan on being there and bringing a group of Memphis lovin' friends.
May 5, 2011 11:28am
Sharon
You don't have to currently reside in Memphis to love it. I've been away for a very long time and still have "Memphis Pride"!
May 5, 2011 12:16pm
katie billings
utterly fantastic! i have an idea for an awesome "I Love Memphis" mural. How do I get more involved?
May 5, 2011 2:48pm
Kerry (admin)
I'll post the details of the public design contest next week.
May 6, 2011 10:26am
katie billings
i cannot wait! i would like to do a mosaic of the design out of plastic bottle caps, large scale. i am also trying to get the message out there to the people of memphis that plastic bottle caps are not recycleable and that plastic bottles with the caps left on do not get recycled- they get sorted out of the recycling facility and sent to the landfill as trash. i have been wanting to do some kind of large scale art project with collected caps for some time and this sounds like something that could turn out really cool. i think that memphis is becoming so much greener all the time and part of the green push we are seeing is fueled by a deep love of memphis! it's so simple and fantastic. i am excited to hear more details of the public design contest as they are available and will definitely be there for the may 12th kickoff party!
May 6, 2011 6:44pm
Kandi Cook
This is such a wonderful idea!!!
May 7, 2011 11:06pm
Chauncey Peppertooth
Can't wait.
May 10, 2011 6:14pm
Katie Benjamin
Love it. We definitely need one of these at Crosstown. :)
May 12, 2011 10:58am
Brandon Marsha…
[...] comes from daily life, other people, and his surroundings. Brandon was commissioned by the MCVB and the City of Memphis for the “I Love Memphis” mural campaign on Cooper [...]
February 13, 2013 9:46am
I Love Memphis…
[...] couple of the I Love Memphis murals in the series of 10.  The series of murals were planned by the Memphis Convention and [...]
April 1, 2013 3:06pm