#iHeartTally Shows Its Artistic Side

New Mural Being Painted Downtown

May 10, 2017

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A new mural in the making welcomed residents and visitors to the heart of downtown Tallahassee this morning. Located at the Duval Street entrance to Kleman Plaza, the colorful rendition of #iHeartTally, created by local artist Cosby Hayes, will help raise awareness of Tallahassee's many amenities, points of pride and dedication to public art.

Commissioner Gil Ziffer brought the concept forth for support during the Sharing of Ideas portion of the April 24 City Commission meeting. With full Commission approval, the project is underway just in time for National Travel and Tourism Week, which runs from May 7-13.

"With approximately 10,000 vehicles passing by Kleman Plaza per day, this location is the perfect spot to showcase our community's talent and promote Tallahassee," Commissioner Ziffer said. "This mural adds a new element to the growing vibrancy of our downtown and demonstrates the City's support of public art."

National Travel and Tourism Week, established by a U.S. Congress resolution in 1983, recognizes the industry's contributions to the economy. According to Leon County Division of Tourism Development/Visit Tallahassee, tourism made an $841 million impact on the Tallahassee-Leon County economy and was responsible for nearly 14,000 jobs last year. Additionally, more than 2.3 million visitors came to the area, marking the eighth consecutive year of growth for the local tourism industry.

Painting of the mural began last night, May 9, and will continue this evening.

This latest mural will add to the growing cadre of public art downtown, which includes several sculptures on Kleman Plaza, the Civil Rights Heritage Walk on Jefferson Street and more.

Cosby is a Tallahassee native and member of the 2017 KCCI Community Catalyst #iHeartTally team. The paint for the mural was donated by Sherwin-Williams on Thomasville Road. For more information about local KCCI efforts, visit www.kccitallahassee.com.

For more information about the City Commission, visit Talgov.com.

Contact Information

Alison Faris, Department of Communications, 891-8533