#iHeartTally Shows Its Artistic Side
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 is created by local artist and KCCI Community Catalyst Cosby Hayes.
This mural is part of the 2017 KCCI Community Catalyst team’s overall project goal to support Visit Tallahassee’s iHeartTally brand and raise awareness of Tallahassee’s offerings by creating an urban park experience with a life-size, interactive #iHeartTally as the centerpiece structure.
Commissioner Gil Ziffer brought the mural 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. In addition, more than 2.3 million visitors came to the area, marking the eighth consecutive year of growth for the local tourism industry.
“We are pleased that KCCI embraced our #iHeartTally brand and is bringing it to life with several dramatic visual displays for the community,” said Kerri Post, executive director of the Leon County Division of Tourism Development/Visit Tallahassee. “The mural is an exciting statement that exemplifies the passion that residents and visitors associate with Tallahassee and the surrounding area. It is a fitting tribute for National Travel and Tourism Week.”
The KCCI team is working toward creating a creative, interactive #iHeartTally structure that will be distinctively positioned as a gateway between Southside neighborhoods and a vibrant downtown and function as a catalyst in the urban revitalization of Tallahassee’s SoMo (South Monroe) District. The team began Jan. 24, 2017 and is finalizing a permanent location for the park in SOMO (South Monroe) area between Florida A&M University, Florida State University and the Florida Capitol. The team is also looking into creating a mobile set of the # that could travel around the community.
The paint for the mural was donated by Sherwin-Williams on Thomasville Road.
Painting of the mural began last night, May 9, and will continue this week each night until completion.
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Check out the photo from the first night of painting by clicking here.