After six days in Grundy County, artist Megan Lingerfelt completed Tracy City’s first full-scale mural, “Lantern Light.” South Cumberland’s rich history includes lived experiences of the Cherokee Nation, Swiss immigrants, civil rights activists at the Highlander Folk School and coal miners, which Tennessee’s South Cumberland Tourism Partnership is preserving through a multi-year oral history project.

For the mural component, DMA and the tourism commission held a community forum where locals could contribute ideas of history worth highlighting. One resident writes, “Coal mining started the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company and later became U. S. Steel—it also started the funding for the University of the South. Sewanee area was the first area where coal was found on the mountain, called the Sewanee Seam. Tracy City was the center of all mining activity and the railhead. The Mountain Goat train brought people to the mountain, which contributed to The University of the South and Monteagle Assembly.”

Coal mining also was how many of the plateau’s early residents made a living. A mining town labor movement sprung up against using prison labor to compete with unions. Visitors to the area can still see the old Lone Rock Coke Ovens—where coal was heated, but not burned, to convert it into “coal coke,” a much denser, hotter-burning fuel that was valued for its use in making iron and steel. More than 120 of these ovens were in operation here in the late 1800s just below the railroad; this entire area, today, is on the National Historic Register.

Lingerfelt was inspired by these stories, as well as those of the miners who are highlighted in the Coal Miners Museum in nearby Whitwell. She used the oil lamp housed in the Grundy County Historical Society building as her starting point for the design.

“Color plays an important role in this one, and it is all about the glow and texture of the coal,” the artist says. “I also spent some time with a man at the mining museum who shared what it was like working in low-profile spaces, something I tried to portray with the floor and ceiling in this design.”

The tourism commission chose Doug and Kalene Hankins’ building as the site for the mural. In addition to owning and operating Hank’s Corner Grille next door, the Hankins just opened a hostel, The Goat Pen, which has been in the works for four years.

“It’s been an exciting week watching the community embrace this amazing project. Each day added to the suspense of watching the mural progress,” Kalene Hankins says. “We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Megan and DMA to transform what was a blank wall into a piece of art that pays homage to a piece of Tracy’s history for everyone to enjoy.”

“Lantern Light” was supported by Tennessee’s South Cumberland Tourism Partnership, Inc. and a Creative Placemaking grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. Prior to Tracy City, DMA completed two mural projects in Madisonville that were also part of Tennessee Arts Commission grants. 

About the artist 

Megan Lingerfelt grew up in North Carolina and studied drawing and painting at UNC Asheville. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, she spent the following years building her studio practice in Seattle, where she discovered a love for murals. She now lives in Oak Ridge and continues to work in public art with her large-scale pieces adorning walls across Tennessee. Inspired by natural elements and engineered forms, Megan’s work engulfs the bits and pieces that make her mural locations unique. She mingles local subject matter with weaving shapes and line work in bold colors on surfaces of all sizes. Her compositions place an emphasis on light, contrast and repetitive forms. When creating for public spaces, she works to imbue the character of each site into a design that may serve as a visually distinct place to the community where it resides. 

About DMA-events, Inc. 

Journalists Kristin Luna and Scott van Velsor started 501(c) (3) DMA-events in May 2018 as a catalyst to provide free access to art to rural communities throughout the South, with more than 50 large-scale murals successfully completed to date in Tullahoma, Manchester, McMinnville, Viola, Lawrenceburg, Tracy City, Knoxville, Maryville, Sweetwater, Madisonville, Centerville, Columbia, Nolensville and Nashville. All murals DMA has produced can be found here: http://bit.ly/DMAMurals. 

About Tennessee Arts Commission 

The Tennessee Arts Commission offers a variety of distinct funding opportunities to encourage participation in arts activities in communities across all 95 counties. By purchasing the arts Tennessee Specialty License Plate, you are supporting organizations, schools, communities and public art projects like these across Tennessee.