As you walk down Martin Luther King Boulevard to grab a bite to eat, your eyes are drawn to the 42,000-square-foot “We Will Not Be Satisfied Until” mural on the AT&T building. When you turn right onto Houston Street, you look both ways and catch a glimpse of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and Chattanooga African American Museum. After you’ve closed out your tab at Bitter Alibi, you have a hankering for dessert at The Ice Cream Show, and as you carry your waffle cone to the Walnut Street Bridge, you take a second to admire the Ed Johnson Memorial.
The city of Chattanooga’s public art collection is all around us, totaling almost 200 pieces, according to Austin Center, the city’s public art collection specialist.
“If you look at any other public art administration around the country, I think we’re second to none,” Center says.
The Collection
The city’s public art collection includes 197 pieces, half of which are outdoors, according to Center. Art found on streets and sidewalks (such as the dancing steps on Frazier Avenue) is not included in the official collection.