Jefferson Street got a volunteer paint job on April 26 as the sidewalks at the corner of Rosa L. Parks Boulevard went from gray to teal, yellow, orange and an array of colors with about 50 people on their hands and knees helping out.
The colors on the street corner sing a welcoming song.
These colors are down the block from the home of the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers. They’re not far from Lorenzo Washington’s Sound Museum. They’re close to the former sites of clubs where Jimi Hendrix and Duke Ellington once played.
“I see it as a crossroads,” said Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell. “It’s vibrant. It says, ‘I’m supposed to be here. Nashville is a creative city.'”
Stephanie DuBose touches up the orange colors on the sidewalk art by Creative Girls Rock at the intersection of Jefferson Steet and Rosa Parks Blvd. in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 26, 2025.
The event was called “Let’s Color Jefferson Street,” and became the first painted intersection in the city. It’s part of an initiative called the Tactical Urbanism Program, in which as many as 14 locations have been chosen for similar artistic enhancements.
The paint (70 gallons and eight colors) was provided by AzkoNobel, and the design came from Creative Girls Rock. Both groups had dozens of volunteers there to paint.
“We believe paint transforms everybody’s life,” said John Griffin, president of AkzoNobel. He said his company has provided paint for 3,000 renewal projects around the world. AkzoNobel gained notoriety after painting the plywood window covers in the wake of the Christmas Day bombing of 2020. “It’s the spontaneous brightening of someone’s day.”
Charmin Bates, the founder and chief executive officer of Creative Girls Rock, said the newly painted street corner represents the power of art.
“I love this initiative through the mayor’s office,” Bates said. “It’s about bringing the community together.”
Volunteers create sidewalk art for Creative Girls Rock at the intersection of Jefferson Steet and Rosa Parks Blvd. in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 26, 2025.
Elisheba Mrozik designed the look of the new sidewalks, inspired by African fabrics and sound waves.
“It’s just a symbol of the heritage of Jefferson Street,” she said. “It’s to welcome people into an historic place.”
Mrozik also designed the murals honoring Elizabeth Duff (the first female bus driver in Nashville) and Z. Alexander Looby (a lawyer who fought to desegregate schools in Nashville).
She chose an abstract design for the sidewalks because she didn’t want people to “walk on anyone’s faces.”
Shirley Hobson volunteered on April 26, she said, because she believes in servant leadership.
“It helps to show people this is our city,” Hobson said. “We have so many visitors. This might be a ‘Wow.'”
Volunteers put the finishing touches on the sidewalk art by Creative Girls Rock at the intersection of Jefferson Steet and Rosa Parks Blvd. in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 26, 2025.
The mayor said he has walked, biked, taken mass transit and driven across the street corner that is now so colorful.
“Our team is intentionally trying to uplift or reintroduce Jefferson Street,” O’Connell said.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville mayor O’Connell: ‘I see it as a crossroads. It’s vibrant’