Downtown Marietta will soon become home to another round of public art to celebrate the 2019 Mountain to River Trailfest.
The Marietta Arts Council has revealed the seven new murals that will join existing seven pieces of art that will be on display for Trailfest, a celebration of public art along the Mountain to River trail scheduled for Saturday, May 11.
Stokes O’Shields, secretary of the Council, said seven of the 12 murals that were added to the lineup for 2018 have been approved to stay for another year.
Each mural was granted a one-year run in the city, with the potential to be extended in 2020. They will be installed by the day of Trailfest.
The new crop of murals was chosen after the organization put a call out for submissions. O’Shields said the group received more than 50 responses from artists. Roughly 20 of those submissions were from international artists representing cities such as London and Barcelona.
The choices made by the Council were based on which art would “make sense” for Marietta, O’Shields said.
SEE | This is the best mural in Atlanta
“We narrowed it down to who is the best of the best,” she said, adding the Council worked closely with the city’s Historic Board of Review to ensure each mural would respect Marietta’s historic buildings and architecture.
The Mountain to River Trail runs from Kennesaw Mountain to the Marietta city limits. The event will also feature a set of sculptures that will be installed along the trail for 60 days.
Those sculptures will be installed over the next few weeks leading up to the festival. Other events include live music, entertainment, fine arts and photography fence gallery and visual arts.
RELATED | Where to see lively outdoor art on walls all around Atlanta
O’Shields said she hopes the community will appreciate this unique way of celebrating Marietta. She said organizers have also worked to balance the desire for contemporary attractions with the need to be respectful of the historic buildings around town.
“Nothing that we are doing is something that we hope to ever take away from the historic aspect of our town,” she said.
LISTEN | Atlanta artist talks about painting the city's legacy
You can learn more about Mountain to River Trailfest by visiting the Marietta Arts Council's website.
Like Cobb County News Now on Facebook | Follow on Twitter
About the Author
