WALL+A

Walls for Art, Learning, and Local Activation

About the Project

Wall-A

WALL+A — Walls for Art, Learning, and Local Activation — is KCCI’s creative placemaking initiative powered by its 2026 Catalyst Class, using bold public art to transform everyday spaces into vibrant community landmarks across Tallahassee. By activating corridors and campuses alike, WALL+A strengthens neighborhoods, celebrates local creativity, and invests in the places where people live, learn, and gather.

In partnership with SoMo Walls, KCCI transformed South Monroe Street into a dynamic outdoor arts destination by creating The Stacks. Featuring eight large-scale murals across stacked shipping containers, The Stacks installation creates a striking visual gateway for the Southside — driving tourism, fostering pride, and encouraging continued community investment.

Complementing this corridor activation, WALL+A is returning meaningful, art to eight local school campuses. Building on strong community partnerships, the initiative turned campus walls into creative spaces that inspire students, strengthen neighborhood identity, and deepen connections between schools and their communities.

Together, these projects reflect the heart of WALL+A — leveraging art as a catalyst for economic vitality, educational enrichment, and long-term community transformation.

Investing in the Southside

The KCCI team led the creation of The Stacks, Leon County’s largest public art installation — a year‑round, fully accessible destination in the Southside that advances the goals of the Southside CRA as well as the South Monroe/South Adams and South City neighborhoods. This mural project has already helped transform the South Monroe corridor into a vibrant outdoor arts destination.

Featuring eight large‑scale murals across a series of eight stacked shipping containers, the installation forms a striking visual gateway for the Southside, driving tourism, fostering community pride, and encouraging continued investment. This project is a collaboration between nonprofit, public, and private partners. It is made possible through the Knight Creative Communities Institutes leadership, led by KCCI’s 2026 Community Catalyst team and supported by KCCI’s partners, and in collaboration with the City of Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and SOMO Walls.

For more details, click here.

Bringing Back Art to Schools

Recognizing the powerful impact of art on students, KCCI is excited to return meaningful public art to eight school campuses — inspiring creativity, motivation, and pride for generations to come. Partner schools include DeSoto Trail Elementary, Hartsfield Elementary, Kate Sullivan Elementary, Sabal Palm Elementary, W.T. Moore Elementary, Cobb Middle School, Nims Middle School and Florida SBDC at FAMU.

These locations build on relationships formed through KCCI’s 2023 Crosswalks to Classrooms initiative, which used public art to promote school pride, strengthen neighborhood identity, and improve pedestrian safety. While the original crosswalk artwork is no longer in place, Walls for Art brings meaningful, lasting art directly into school spaces — activating campus walls as tools for learning, creativity, and community connection.

Research on school-based mural projects shows that vibrant, student-centered art increases pride and motivation to care for campus spaces, strengthens students’ sense of belonging, and helps reduce anxiety by creating more welcoming and inspiring environments. Through collaboration with school leaders, parent-teacher organizations, students, and community members, each campus will feature placemaking elements that reflect its unique identity — fostering connection, ownership, and positive school culture across Tallahassee.

Invest in Art. Invest in Community.

Supporting WALL+A means investing in more than public art; it means strengthening neighborhoods, inspiring students, and helping Tallahassee thrive. Our team looks forward to returning meaningful art to school campuses that fosters pride, belonging, and creativity. Through WALL+A we are creating lasting community impact.

By partnering with KCCI, sponsors become part of a citywide movement that activates shared spaces, inspires creativity, and gives back to the places that shape our future.

Ready to join the WALL+A movement? Become a sponsor today. All donations to the 2026 WALL+A project are dedicated to restoring art across eight school campuses.

Click here to view our sponsorship letter.

Click here to donate.

Meet Our Team

This year’s team is working to reclaim the spirit of Tallahassee through creativity and collaboration using placemaking tools. KCCI team members include:

Meet the 2026 Catalyst Team

Thanks to our generous sponsors

Hartsfield Elementary

Hartsfield was one of several schools forced to remove its student-painted crosswalk last year at the direction of the Florida Department of Transportation.

Now, that art is back. It is now featured on a colorful wind screen that runs the length of the playground fence right near Hartsfield’s front entrance.

“The students were extremely surprised,” Hartsfield Elementary School Principal John Olson said. “We didn’t tell them about the surprise so they came back to school today and some of the students remember painting the crosswalk. They were thrilled to see the same artwork on the school fence.”

Student reactions were priceless and some of the excitement and energy was captured by local media outlets WCTV and WTXL. Watch WTXL’s story here, WCTV’s here, take a moment to watch KCCI’s video on Instagram or read the My View by KCCI Community Catalyst volunteer Tangela Lofton.

This couldn’t have been done without the generous support of Awards4U!

The Stacks

KCCI led the creation of The Stacks — Leon County’s largest public art installation. These murals helped transform the South Monroe corridor into a fully accessible, vibrant outdoor arts destination in the Southside. To celebrate the incredible local talent and artwork, KCCI hosted six free community events during the past few months. From a community painting day and artist panel discussion to the Live at The Stacks neighborhood block party, there was something for individuals of all ages.

The Stacks, which feature eight large‑scale murals across a series of 16 stacked shipping containers, forms a striking visual gateway for the Southside, driving tourism, fostering community pride, and encouraging continued investment. This project was a collaboration between nonprofit, public, and private partners. It was made possible through KCCI’s leadership and the 2026 Community Catalyst team, supported by KCCI’s partners in collaboration with the City of Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and SOMO Walls.

For more details, click here.

Artists: Michael Crowne, Myah Freeman, Matthew Forrest, Sam McCoy, Meghan Mick, Taylor Shaw, Amanda VanStratum.

Location: 213 Oakland Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida

Cobb Middle

As part of VyStar Credit Union’s Good is everywhere campaign and KCCI’s Placemaking Week, community volunteers joined in for a day of community impact at Cobb Middle School. Together, a new mural was painted, two major new artworks at the entrance were added by the Wall+A KCCI team, and a few other areas on campus were beautified with new landscaping. It was a beautification project that celebrated creativity, connection, and school pride.

Thank you to professional muralist Amanda VanStratum and Living Canvas Studio for their expertise, Eppes Decorating Center for their contributions and many others that donated time and talents.

W.T. Moore Elementary

Connected Communities Inspire the Future

“Connected Communities Inspire the Future” is a collaborative public art initiative uniting three generations of volunteers. KCCI volunteers, W.T. Moore Elementary students, and Westminster Oaks resident artists celebrated creativity and community connection by working together to create two fence banners displaying original artwork inspired by the theme, “Connected Communities Inspire the Future,” along with an artistic wrap transforming a giant utility box near the school into a welcoming piece of art. Building on the previous “Art of the Box” initiative, the project promotes ongoing community-driven public art.

The completed student artworks were showcased at community art shows at the Eastside Branch Library, W.T. Moore Elementary, the Main Library, and Westminster Oaks. The project included coordinated efforts in design, funding, and community engagement to ensure a cohesive and meaningful experience that highlighted connection, creativity, and shared community.

Artists: Students & Westminster Oaks Residents

Location: WT Moore Elementary School, Tallahassee, Florida

Sabal Palm Elementary

The new art installation includes a 100‑foot celebration of hope, creativity, and community pride—created by the children who need it most. Sabal Palm Elementary, Leon County’s only Community Partnership School, serves students from the poorest ZIP code in Florida. Yet despite the challenges they face, these students radiate resilience, talent, and a deep sense of community, and this KCCI project is gave them a powerful way to express it. KCCI brought their voices to life through a 100‑foot outdoor mural, professionally produced from 150 individual student artworks, each centered on the theme “Community Is Family.” Every child created a 12×12 piece—drawn, colored, or painted—that becomes part of a massive, unified artwork installed on a durable windscreen material along the school’s front fence.

The installation culminated in a community block-party unveiling event on May 15, 2026 with students, families, local partners, and supporters—an uplifting moment of pride for a neighborhood that deserves to be seen and celebrated. It’s more than a mural. It’s a message of unity, hope, and possibility—created by kids, with their community, for their community.

Thank you to Tena Pate and Associates for bringing this art project to fruition.

Kate Sullivan Elementary

The Kate Sullivan Elementary School project incorporates vibrant colors and outdoor canvases to celebrate the school’s beloved crocodile mascot. Designed to blend public art with environmental education, the installation will create a walk-through learning experience that encourages curiosity and creativity. Visible along Miccosukee Road, the colorful art will enhance school pride, beautify the campus, and create a welcoming entrance. Building on KCCI’s earlier Crosswalks to Classrooms initiative, the project demonstrates how creative placemaking can strengthen community identity while inspiring students to explore and appreciate Florida’s natural environment.

Artist: Tracie Harris Thompson

Location: Kate Sullivan Elementary School, Tallahassee, Florida

DeSoto Trail Elementary

DeSoto Trail Elementary’s art installation, Greetings from DeSoto Trail, is a colorful 8×12 ft bold mural, positioned at the school’s main entrance as a warm welcome to the campus. The artwork was conceptualized by the school’s leadership team and then designed by two Leon county senior high school students. The mural captures the vitality of DeSoto Trail – portraying the school’s trailblazer spirit through beautiful images of students actively engaged in education and play. By bringing these scenes to life, DeSoto Trail’s mission “Challenging each student to blaze a successful trail to the future”, is proudly on display and invites students and visitors alike to be true trailblazers. Once a Trailblazer, Always a Trailblazer!

Florida SBDC at FAMU

KCCI helped bring to life a vibrant new mural celebrating the legacy of Dr. Sybil C. Mobley. As founding Dean of Florida A&M University’s School of Business and Industry (SBI) Dr. Mobley inspired many. Located at the Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at FAMU, 625 E. Tennessee Street, the mural honors Dr. Mobley’s visionary leadership and lasting impact on business education, entrepreneurship, and generations of students. Created by professional muralist Myah Freeman, the artwork incorporates touches of FAMU’s signature orange and green, includes an inspirational quote from Dr. Mobley, and artistic interpretations of historic photographs featuring early SBI students and the business school building. The project was a collaboration between Florida SBDC at Florida A&M University School of Business and Industry and KCCI.

This meaningful project brings FAMU’s rich history to life while inspiring future generations of entrepreneurs and business leaders. The Dr. Sybil C. Mobley mural builds on the power of placemaking, transforming an entrance into a meaningful tribute that celebrates FAMU’s history, inspires future entrepreneurs, and fosters community pride.

Artist: Myah Freeman

Location: Florida SBDC at FAMU, 625 E. Tennessee Street, Tallahassee

Nims Middle

As part of VyStar Credit Union’s Good is everywhere campaign and KCCI’s 8th Annual Placemaking Week, community volunteers joined in for a day of community impact at Nims Middle School. KCCI volunteers made the front entrance more welcoming with a new fence mural. Plus, by the site of popular thoroughtfare on campus, volunteers painted a giant school-pride mural. Thank you to VyStar Credit Union and their employees for volunteering their time, the professional muralist Amanda VanStratum and Living Canvas Studio for their expertise, Eppes Decorating Center for their contributions, and the many others that donated time and talents.

Fort Braden

In 2026, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Old Fort Braden School and Fort Braden Community Center building, KCCI managed the mural creation between Living Canvas Studio and Leon County Government to create a mural near the historic Fort Braden Community Center. The mural, themed “Rooted Together,” honors the community’s history and natural beauty. The mural’s design was shaped through a collaborative community engagement process. The designer gathered feedback from residents, spent time observing Fort Braden’s distinctive natural landscapes, and explored the community. Three original mural concepts were developed and displayed at the local library, where residents voted for their favorite. The most popular concept served as the foundation for the final design, ensuring the artwork reflects the community’s voice and identity.

Featuring iconic local landmarks that were important to residents such as the Fort Braden School, Lake Talquin, and surrounding recreational trails, the mural highlights the area’s unique character. Colorful depictions of local wildlife, wildflowers, and landscapes celebrate the region’s natural environment and outdoor traditions, including fishing, hiking, and hunting.

Through creative placemaking and community collaboration, the mural transforms a blank wall into a welcoming landmark. Students from the nearby Fort Braden School helped paint the mural in October. Unveiled as part of Fort Braden’s centennial celebration, the mural is a lasting tribute to the community’s past, present, and future.

Artist: Living Canvas Studio

Location: 16327 Blountstown Highway, Tallahassee, Florida 32310