Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1540272
58 maconmagazine.com | October/November 2025 A s you make your way through Downtown Macon, whether in a car or on foot, you're likely to stumble across a mural or two. Beyond downtown, murals and public art are all over Macon's neighborhoods. From Greenwood Bottom to Wesleyan's arboretum, sculptures, murals, and installations tell the history of our community and the people who create it. And sure, it's nice to look at, but the value of public art extends beyond aesthetics. Public art tells our story, improves our well- being, and creates the characteristics that make Macon unique. P U B L I C A R T T E L L S O U R C O M M U N I T Y ' S S H A R E D S T O R Y Every block, neighborhood, and city has a shared history. But the content and conclusions we can draw from that history vary greatly depending on who is telling the story. Public art can empower communities to be the author of their own histories, and to tell those stories in a way that moves people when words fall short. From commemorative murals to political messages, public art carries a message that can teach us about our past and help us define our values in the present and future. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the power of public art to deliver a message is truly unmatched. Macon's public art tells our history. Throughout the city, murals commemorate the impact of the Allman Brothers Band. Significant figures, locally and nationally, are remembered in murals that symbolize their achievements and contributions to our community. From a mural of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Macon's Greenwood Bottom neighborhood, to a portrait of "Mama" Louise Hudson and Inez Hill outside of H&H, the subjects of our public art tell a story about the city we know and love today. Throughout Third Street Park, a Japanese lantern and stone benches commemorate a connection with Japan through the International Cherry Blossom Festival. As our community grows and Hannah Webb's "The Obanoth" spans multiple stories on the Macon-Bibb Mulberry St. parking deck.