Years: 2017
The #iHeartTally KCCI Community Catalyst team strengthened the community’s sense of place, enhanced Tallahassee’s economic vitality and raised awareness of Tallahassee’s offerings by creating an urban park experience with an artistic representation of TLH.
Within a few months of installation the TLH was named a “Tallahassee Icon” by media outlet WCTV, and the letters were ranked No. 4 in the list of Tallahassee’s ‘Top 10 Most Instagrammable Spots’ by Visit Tallahassee.
This project was created by KCCI’s team and involved private and public partners to bring it to life. This volunteer Community Catalyst group leveraged public art to cultivate community pride and celebrate the city’s uniqueness by working in collaboration with neighbors, students, businesses and local government.
TEAM MISSION
This project team’s mission was to use public art as a catalyst to celebrate the diversity of experiences that make Tallahassee a great place to visit and live while spurring the revitalization of the emerging South Monroe (SOMO) district, a currently underserved area of our city.
HOW IT WORKED
The team started January 2017 and scouted and selected a location for the urban park experience that focused on the SOMO (South Monroe) area between Florida A&M University, Florida State University and the Florida Capitol.
To further the brand excitement of #iHeartTally, the Catalysts successfully worked with Leon County Tourism/Visit Tallahassee to create a mobile version of the popular hashtag #iHeartTally. This mobile piece made its debut at the Jazz and Heritage Festival on October 28, 2017, and has since been traveling around the community.
In addition, the KCCI team worked with muralist Cosby Hayes, the City of Tallahassee and Visit Tallahassee in May 2017 to brighten the entrance of Kleman Plaza with a colorful representation of #iHeartTally (paint was donated by Sherwin Williams). The mural has received significant positive feedback and local media coverage, which generated further excitement for Leon County Tourism/Visit Tallahassee’s campaign.
Before the new TLH urban park was unveiled on April 12, 2018, the letters were hidden by a mural. This new #iHeartTally mural was made by neighboring Oak Ridge Elementary students, who were encouraged to draw or write things they love about Tallahassee. The mural can now be found on the back wall of Other Side Vintage in Railroad Square Art Park.
The TLH structure is located at FAMU Way and S. Adams Street. KCCI Community Catalyst volunteers Cosby Hayes and Ryan Sheplak designed this sculpture, with the input and support of the additional 10 volunteer KCCI team members. Florida State University Master Craftsman Studio brought the designs to life in the form of a 30-foot-wide and 10-foot-tall steel-finished structure.
This incredible piece was then transported by North American Properties, who also oversaw the installation of the art. With funding provided by over 50 community donors, alongside support from the Knight Foundation fund at the Community Foundation of North Florida, the KCCI 2017 team has had an overwhelming number of supporters in the community for this project.
The TLH sculpture maintains the integrity of the Visit Tallahassee iHeartTally brand while also adopting a level of modernity that will stay relevant for years to come.
The structure is built of CORE-TEN® steel and uses reclaimed cypress for the siding. At night, the sculpture is lit from within to reveal perforated holes on its surface. This timeless and dynamic structure offers multiple experiences for visitors depending on the time of day. Lighting and installation donated by Cast Lighting, LLC and CentralPro.
This is a project by the community, for the community. Thank you to the project sponsors who helped make the T L H urban park possible.
- Leon County Tourism/Visit Tallahassee
- Knight Foundation Fund/Community Foundation of North Florida
- City of Tallahassee
- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Foundation
- North American Properties
- Tri-Eagle Sales
- NAI TALCOR
- Tallahassee Neurological Clinic
- Tallahassee Community College
- Tallahassee Democrat
- See Tallahassee Community Catalyst Team
- Cast Lighting and CentralPro
- Marpan Supply
- Jenny and Mike Crowley
- Gaines Street Pies
- FAMU Small Business Development Center
- Sherwin Williams Paints
- Justice Research Center
- National Flooring Specialist, Inc. given in Memory of Tyler Simpkins
- Akbar Law Firm, PA
- Lewis + Whitlock
- The Commerce Group Associated, Inc.
- Adell J. Bowers
- Thomas J. Bowers
- Susan W Yelton
- Felton Wright
- Joshua DeSha
- Mike and Nancy O’Farrell
- Mary Anne and Charles Fried
- Shauntelle Catani
- Johnny Johnson
- Coppins Monroe Law Firm
- Casey Simmons
- Jennifer Collins
- Megan Doherty
- Sherry M Riley
- Christi M. Bowers
- William Huston
- Lucille Turner
- Karen Vogter
- Teresa Aaronson
- Nena Hester
- Tiffany Bowers
- Jared Willis
- Deborah S Bergstrom
- Christopher O’Neal
- Ryan Sheplak
- Frances Conaway
- Charlotte Waters
- Kawana W. Johnson
- Lesley Marchessault
- Mandy Stringer
- Leon Kung
- Jennifer Williams
- Abena Ojetayo
- Brian Batchelder
- Madison Social Tallahassee, LLC
- Keith Bowers
- Jim Davis
Keep updated with the #iHeartTally team through KCCI’s social media channels and website updates.
Community Catalysts
These are the people who helped make this project possible.
- Brian Batchelder
- Debbie Bergstrom
- Tiffany Bowers
- Jenny Crowley
- Joshua DeSha
- Megan Doherty
- Cosby Hayes
- Chris O’Neal
- Abena Ojetayo
- Ryan Sheplak
- Charlotte Waters
- Jared Willis