Unum, along with River City, on Tuesday morning unveiled one of their largest art projects to date. After hiding the art production behind a sweeping black curtain, Unum’s president and CEO Rick McKenney unveiled a Chattanooga-themed mural now painted on the side of a large generator.
“We think art is such a critical piece of the community, and it can make such a difference as people begin to get out and walk our streets again,” Mr.
McKenney said.
Unum and River City had enlisted the services of local artist Renel Plouffe, who is a longtime Chattanooga resident who drew on her experiences around town to create the mural. She said it was a long process, as she agonized over perfecting her piece of art.
“I tried to represent their vision and that’s what I did. I tried to represent both Chattanooga and Unum’s values,” Ms. Plouffe said. “It took a while, just because I was going back and forth and trying to make everything perfect.”
River City Company’s ArtSpark program commissioned the mural, and Mr. McKenney gave River City CEO Emily Mack a $10,000 check for future projects.
“ArtSpark is a program where we have the ability to work with local artists to beautify and install public art on utility boxes like this large generator,” Ms. Mack said. “It’s a way to take very utilitarian but essential pieces of equipment and beautify them with local public art.”
In addition to making public spaces more colorful, Ms. Mack said ArtSpark programs creates a chance for local artists to be paid for their artwork.
“It also furthers public art, since we work with local artists for these projects, and they are compensated for their services. It is also a way to showcase public arts throughout the city.”