Painting Complete on 25th Mural in Hardeman County

KNOXVILLE—The University of Tennessee System is on a mission to paint the state orange with its “Everywhere You Look, UT” campaign, and Lone Oaks Farm in Hardeman County just became home to UT’s 25th mural.

The UT System has a goal to paint a mural in 95 counties across Tennessee to remind travelers of UT’s statewide presence. Since the campaign’s launch in 2018, 24 murals have been completed in Anderson, Crockett, Cumberland, Dyer, Fentress, Gibson, Giles, Grainger, Greene, Houston, Knox, Lawrence, Lincoln, Meigs, Roane, Shelby, Scott, Sullivan, Sumner, Tipton, Trousdale, Wayne and Weakley counties.

“These murals serve as a continual reminder of the far-reaching impact UT has on our great state,” UT President Randy Boyd said. “From west to east, UT really is everywhere you look.” The 25th mural at Lone Oaks Farm is positioned on the side of a carriage house in a “place like no other” according to the spring 2016 issue of Tennessee Land Life and Science magazine. Lone Oaks Farm is one of the newest locations administered by UT Extension and is a unit of the UT Institute of Agriculture (UTIA). The property serves as a world-class venue for education, business retreats, special events and family travel. It encompasses 1,200 acres of pastures, woodlands and lakes and has been hosting youth experiences for more than six years. The past few years have focused heavily on STEM field trips and youth leadership development.

“Promoting the University of Tennessee and branding the farm as a UT property is an important story to tell in rural west Tennessee,” said Ron Blair, director of Lone Oaks Farm. “As visitors leave the farm this message will enforce our presence in changing lives across the region.”

Blair said this is a great addition to west Tennessee and truly provides a unique education site for young people. He also said that according to research, children spend about half the amount of time outside than they did 30 years ago, and Lone Oaks Farm provides a great opportunity to teach skills outside.

The 60-foot-wide mural on the property will be seen by an estimated 7,500 visitors each year.

To learn more about the campaign, each location and to nominate a canvas for use, visit https://everywhere.tennessee.edu/murals/.

The University of Tennessee is a statewide system of higher education with campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Martin, Memphis and Pulaski; the UT Space Institute in Tullahoma; the UT Institute of Agriculture with a presence in every Tennessee county; and the statewide Institute for Public Service. The UT system manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its

UT-Battelle partnership; enrolls about 54,000 students statewide; produces about 13,000 new graduates every year; and represents more than 422,000 alumni around the world.