Eight New “Everywhere You Look, UT” Murals Bring Statewide Campaign to Halfway Point

For Immediate Release
Sept. 27, 2023

KNOXVILLE – The University of Tennessee System will reach almost halfway to its goal of painting an “Everywhere You Look UT” mural in all 95 counties with its latest round this fall.

Eight murals in seven counties will be painted this fall, bringing the campaign total to 49 murals in 45 counties since its launch in 2018.

The first painting project of the fall lineup will begin today at the UT Lifestar base in McMinn County, visible from I-75. The last of the series will be painted in November in Claiborne County.

Learn More About the Murals

“We are thrilled to be on track with the goal we have set to paint the state orange,” UT System President Randy Boyd said. “We’re also grateful to the owners of these properties for lending their canvases to the campaign and for helping spread the message of UT’s impact across the state.”

The murals are scheduled for paint as follows:

• McMinn County: UT Lifestar Base, Sweetwater, Sept. 27-29
• Smith County: Cothern Farm Barn, Riddleton, Oct. 6-9
• Knox County: Nash Farm Barn, Strawberry Plains, Oct. 17-22
• Hancock County: Brian Dalton Farm Barn, Thorn Hill, Oct. 23-26
• Henderson County: McBride Farm Barn, Lexington, Nov. 3-5
• Madison County: UT AgResearch and Education Center Barn, Jackson, Nov. 10-14
• Lake County: Concrete Silo, Tiptonville, Nov. 15-19
• Claiborne County: Fugate Farms Barn, Tazwell, Mid-November

The latest installment of murals adds more iconic barns to the campaign as well as some new canvases. The aircraft hangar in McMinn County and concrete silo in Lake County are unique to the campaign. The barn roof in Madison County also is the first mural designed to be seen from the air. While the structure is not visible from a major roadway, Jackson’s McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport flight path will take planes over it.

“The most exciting aspect of the campaign is how it’s evolving in unexpected ways,” said Ellie Dougherty, campaign manager and executive director of marketing for the UT System. “We have a mobile mural on the side of a 40-foot trailer used to haul grain and now a mural that will be seen by travelers in the air. The mural campaign is becoming as unique as the passion we see for UT among our alumni and supporters across the state.”

With 50 counties still needing murals, all ideas and submissions from the public are encouraged. Ideal locations are high-traffic, high-visibility properties along Tennessee’s interstates, highways and waterways or nestled in the center of town. Locations can include barns, silos, businesses, water towers and more. Costs of the first mural in each county are covered by the UT System.

To learn more about the campaign and its locations, or to nominate a canvas, visit the campaign website.

Tags: Everywhere You Look UT, Featured, Mural Campaign, UT Mural, UT System