LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — Cities and towns across Tennessee and U.S. are using murals to celebrate local history, identity, and culture. From the I Believe in Nashville mural to a hosts of murals located in nearby Tullahoma, public art is not only “Instagrammable” but also a point of community pride meant to provide free marketing as visitors share images online.

Artist Kim Radford recently completed one such example of public art – a mural celebrating Tennessee’s distilling heritage on the side of a covered bridge in Lynchburg located at the Retreat at Whiskey Creek – a tiny home community located off Main Street here in Lynchburg.

Radford’s public art entitled Crafting Whiskey drew inspiration from the famous Lincoln County Process for her illustrations of the four steps involved in filtering and aging whiskey. If you look closely, there are tons of “Easter eggs” or hidden clues in the mural like the the four pie graphs in the first pane meant to express the traditional grain bill of Tennessee whiskey.

“The mural features bold color blocks, stylized pictographs and a warm limited color palette inspired by American mid-century illustration,” Radford explains. “My goal was to tell the story of whiskey in a cheerful, engaging way for a community that built the business.”

Radford also created the Dolly Parton mural located in Nashville. If you’d like to see more of Radford’s work, you can click here.

Crafting Whiskey is located along the Mulberry Creek, which flows through Lynchburg and by the Jack Daniel’s Distillery grounds. Southern Middle Tennessee is widely considered the birthplace of Tennessee whiskey and is also the home to the Tennessee Whiskey Trailhead, as well as Nearest Green Distillery, Company Distilling, Cascade Hollow Distilling Co., Prichard’s Distillery, and Big Machine Distillery.

“The Tennessee Whiskey Trail celebrates the creativity, craft and collaboration among our members, so we are honored to see how beautifully those values have been brought to life through this public art, the individuals who championed it and the partnerships that brought it to fruition,” says Charity Toombs, executive director of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail. “The Lincoln County Process is special to Tennessee Whiskey, and we appreciate the role that this mural does to help educate and commemorate the time-honored art and science of distilling in the Volunteer State.”

Phase one murals located in Lynchburg, Fayetteville, and Wartrace

Managed by public art nonprofit DMA-events, the Tennessee Whiskey Trail Mural Project is part of the Tennessee Whiskey Country Campaign, a collaboration between the Tennessee Distillers Guild and Tennessee Whiskey Trail, South Central Tennessee Tourism Association and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. The Lynchburg mural was also sponsored by the mural’s host, the Retreat at Whiskey Creek.

In addition to bringing unique art to rural communities, the campaign serves as a way for visitors to dive deeper into the region’s rich whiskey roots, while driving more discovery and economic activity into the towns surrounding each distillery.

Phase one of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail Mural Project will include original art in Lynchburg, Fayetteville and Wartrace. Each completed piece will be featured on the Experience Tennessee app and count as a bonus stop on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail. Visitors who check in at all three murals can collect a special poker chip exclusively available at the Tennessee Whiskey Trailhead in Lynchburg.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to see the Tennessee Whiskey Trail Mural Project coming to life. This initiative recognizes the history, the craftsmanship and the incredible people who have shaped the story of Tennessee whiskey,” said native Ryan French, who is also the executive director of South Central Tennessee Tourism Association.

“Tennessee Whiskey Country is a significant part of our state’s culture and economy, and we’re grateful to work alongside our partners and the communities to bring this story to life.”

For non-locals, you can locate Lynchburg’s newest public art by using the GPS address of The Retreat at Whiskey Creek, 975 Main Street, Lynchburg TN 37352. •

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