Strong Alley, Artist Alley and Graffiti Alley are three names given to arguably the most Instagram-able spot in downtown Knoxville.

But the painted pathway will soon have a companion in Market Square.

The Knoxville City Council voted 8-1 Tuesday night to pay up to $151,000 to artist Addison Karl to paint a new alleyway mural on the Market Square Garage that will feature a rainbow spectrum of colors and multiple local faces.

"I try not to paint well-known people or famous people because there's generally so much celebrity worship as there is," Karl said. "I like a more organic process (of meeting unique subjects) as opposed to setting up an appointment with people."

Liza Zenni, executive director of the Arts & Culture Alliance, said the alley between Union and Wall avenues "cried out" for public art.

"It really needs it," she said at Tuesday's meeting. "And we were encouraged because of the success of Strong Alley. People go there. They have their pictures taken. It's a gathering place for people."

Creating 'energetic vibrancy' in downtown Knoxville

In September, the city heard from 40 artists wanting to paint the alleyway. The city narrowed down those applicants to 13 — including one Knoxville artist who backed out — before selecting Karl's proposal.

"In continuation with my ongoing theme of mural work pertaining to humanity, culture and community engagement, I have created a composition that brings interaction, ownership, movement and energetic vibrancy to the Market Square Garage Mural," read his proposal.

Because Karl is based in Seattle, he said, it's important to engage with community members to ensure the mural resonates locally.

Karl plans to visit Knoxville in May, walking the streets and visiting businesses to meet as many people as he can. He will listen to their stories and ask potential subjects if he can take their picture for consideration in the mural.

Zenni, who facilitates the work of the city's Public Arts Committee, said Karl will take up to 200 photographs of locals. He will submit roughly 15 of those to the committee, which has to approve the mural's final rendering.

"There's an element of diversity in there that I like," he said. "I'm not particularity interested in choosing one demographic. ... It's more who I come across in an organic way."

Karl's request states that the mural will be painted with colors "on a full range spectrum of the color wheel" using a hatch-line technique.

"By using the full-color spectrum, it injects a high level of vibrancy and raw energy into the painting," read the proposal. "Each line of color (is) carefully put in to create a larger composition of movement and energy."

Art is 'fostering this community'

Karl has allocated 227 days to complete the project, including roughly four weeks of painting time. He took the same amount of time to paint a similarly sized mural at a Denver train station, he said, and has completed commissioned murals in countries around the world.

"I'm trying to be really thoughtful," he said. "If the city is paying you money for this job, they want to make sure the money is going somewhere that is safe and secure for the public and there's a portfolio behind it to ensure the professionalism in the work."

The $151,000 includes everything from accommodation expenses to paying for materials and assistants. His budget, Zenni said, will keep $79,000 in Knoxville by hiring artists and using local vendors.

Karl and the city hope the mural will complement Strong Alley on the other side of Market Square near Gay Street.

Strong Alley is a public spot for artists to graffiti, and these spots are becoming more and more popular across the United States, Karl said.

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"Seeing that Knoxville has this as well — I'm not really surprised that it does, but, at the same time, I'm happy to hear it's fostering this community," he said.

In addition to fulfilling the wishes of the city council, Karl hopes to become a stronger artist during this process and inspire other artists to submit proposals outside their cities and their comfort zones.

"Fifteen years ago, I saw other artists coming to my city, and it really inspired me because it makes you realize the world is much bigger," he said. "But (this mural is about) community engagement, too — that people are happy about the work and have ownership. ... It kind of becomes their place."

More murals in Knoxville

With the 8-1 vote, the city approved public funding and allowed Karl to move forward with his plans. According to city documents, Karl will hopefully begin his work in the fall.

Councilwoman Seema Singh-Perez was the only council member to vote against the mural.

"I like Strong Alley even better," she said. "That is artists just exploding and sharing what they have with Knoxville."

Singh-Perez said she would like to see more art similar to Strong Alley and for public art to move beyond downtown. While it has helped with tourism, she said, other neighborhoods could use beautification through art.

To learn more about Karl or to view his work, visit addisonkarl.com.

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