Do More Art

08/04/2026

Miss our last newsletter? No worries; you can still read it here and subscribe for future monthly updates! https://view.flodesk.com/emails/6a4fed257997735ef3ebc3f1

07/21/2026

Sweetwater is such a great example of a strategy-driven approach to placemaking, community development, and attracting, keeping and supporting small businesses. And it works; just look at the tourism numbers alone!

Sweetwater is seeing more people going to its downtown area, with a 4% year-to-date increase in visits to Sweetwater’s Main Street district so far in 2026.

07/09/2026

Congrats to the Coffee County Health Department on officially opening their new space! This new build by Boyce Ballard is located on Highway 55 halfway between Manchester and Tullahoma in order to serve all Coffee County residents. We were thrilled to get to do art in the entrance, designed and installed by the talented Whitney Herrington.

06/29/2026

Thank you, The Lynchburg Times, for featuring this project so near and dear to our Dolly-loving hearts!

REGIONAL NEWS | Dolly's new Tennessean Travel Stop is now open in nearby Cornersville and the 40-foot mural that greets you has local roots.

06/26/2026

Meet Britt Flood Art, the incredible artist behind "Butterfly Lullaby (Mountain Gospel)" at the flagship Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stops in Cornersville, exit 22. Britt is a renowned muralist whose work explores the natural landscapes, botanicals and living world of the South.

"Butterfly Lullaby" celebrates the beauty, resilience and storytelling culture of Appalachia through vibrant butterflies, rolling pastures and native Tennessee wildflowers. Inspired by Dolly Parton's generosity and creative spirit, "the mural comes alive when someone steps into its center, held and enveloped within the wings, the mountains and the rhythm of the piece," Flood explains, "an open embrace for all of us just traveling through."

Flood earned her BFA from Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., and has shaped her practice through years of painting, hiking and life on the road. Her large-scale public murals layer traditional landscape technique with contemporary gestural mark-making—pieces that feel both rooted in place and alive with movement.

06/25/2026

Running a nonprofit is the ultimate exercise in “rolling with the punches.” Some weeks, you are being rained out on site every single day, your hard work literally washed away and your brain defaulting to “is it ever going to be sunny enough to complete this mural installation?” While others you are celebrating the completion of said project at the opening of Dolly Parton’s first Tennessean Travel Stop!

Meet Butterfly Lullaby (Mountain Gospel) by the insanely talented Britt Flood Art. More about her thought process behind this piece to come, so stay tuned!

05/28/2026

We spy two new murals in Fayetteville, both designed and installed by Kim Radford! The fish mural on the side of the Chamber of Commerce - Fayetteville-Lincoln County, TN honors Tennessee’s oldest fish hatchery, which has been stocking the state’s waters since 1931. Located in Lincoln County, the Flintville Fish Hatchery produces more than 100,000 trout annually for Tennessee rivers and lakes and encompasses roughly 750 acres dedicated to recreation and conservation.

The second is on the new bathroom facility at Wells Hill Park, depicting the rare sweet white trillium that bloom in abundance along the trails. Have you seen either of these murals in person yet? If you do, be sure and tag us in your photos!

And if you want to support local art projects like these, consider purchasing a Specialty Arts License Plate. Proceeds from every plate go to the Tennessee Arts Commission, which funds grant projects for nonprofits like ours. Learn more and personalize yours today at www.tnspecialtyplates.org

05/16/2026

We see quite a few familiar murals 👀

04/25/2026

A new Whitney Herrington is up in Town of Wartrace now! Swing by to see it next time you're in our area.

04/21/2026

One building, two murals. Our latest DMA project was completed on Sunday in Viola! The incomparable Megan Lingerfelt installed "Magnolia" on the west-facing wall of Viola's Guest House on the Square in 2021 with the support of the community who crowd-funded the piece.

Five years later, we were able to bring Megan back to Viola, this time to paint "Laurel" on the east-facing wall with the support of Tennessee Arts Commission, as well as funding from DMA, Viola's Pizza Company, the Viola Valley Half Marathon, Ben Lomand and individuals from the community. A big thanks to Megan and Dave for painting through the heat, wasps, wind and bees, and to everyone who brought this project to life, including Scott van Velsor who spent a few days prepping the wall for the art! You can see a before shot of what the wall looked like less than two weeks ago in the comments.

We love Viola and the fact that the town is a shining example of how impactful community can be—the town has only 144 residents!—particularly when it comes to public art and activating spaces.