ATLANTA (NEXSTAR) — It’s rare that a city has the opportunity to show off on such a big stage like the Super Bowl but this week all eyes are on Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII.
The city has taken full advantage of that opportunity to not only improve the appearance but also share the city’s history.
An estimated one million fans are expected to stream into Atlanta for the Big Game as well as festivities leading up to the Super Bowl Sunday.
To put that number into perspective, it’s double the city’s population.
To make sure it was not only pleasing to look at but also shine a spotlight on the city rich civil rights legacy.
“I’m extremely proud of and it’s very unique, the Off The Wall Mural Project,” said Brett Daniels chief operating officer of the Super Bowl host committee.
Atlanta arts group Wonderroot partnered with Atlanta Super Bowl host committee to install 30 murals around downtown for the Big Game that speak to the city’s social justice issues past and present.
“About a year and a half ago we were looking ahead and saw the Super Bowl coming and said this is an opportunity. What are the stories that we want to tell when we have the spotlight of the national media? And we see murals as a great way to do that because of the accessibility. You can put up murals anywhere and anyone can come and enjoy them and people in the neighborhood can take ownership of them,” said Jake Pardee WonderRoot communications and development coordinator.
Eleven artists were chosen by a selection committee. Seven locals and four from out of state made this project come to life on the biggest stage.
“Obviously the enter of civil and human rights today dating back to our legacy in the 60s to the civil rights movement, wanted to make sure we told the Atlanta story of where we were hoping our story was going in the future,” said Daniels
With so many sets of eyes on the city during this week, they will b able to enjoy these beautiful works of art while also soaking in the rich diversity.
“Sort of connecting past, present, and future as well as broadening the definition that we think of civil human rights was really important in this project and having this platform it the best we could ask for,” said Pardee.
Five of the seventeen that are completed and are breathtaking, each one telling its own unique story.