The Dolly Parton mural located in Strong Alley in downtown Knoxville was recently vandalized, leaving many Knoxville residents and Dolly fans feeling heartbroken and angry. Strong Alley is also known as Artist Alley. The mural was completed in 2019 by Colton Valentine, a renowned street artist/muralist based in San Antonio, Texas.
The act of vandalism, which also impacted four other murals in Strong Alley, will require restoration but also presents an opportunity to enhance the artwork with new design elements. Dogwood Arts will provide funding for the restoration through the Art in Public Places Mural Program; restoration will begin immediately and will be completed over the next few weeks. After consulting with Valentine, Dogwood Arts asked local artist Megan Lingerfelt to restore and enhance the popular piece.
Lingerfelt's restored artwork will include new elements that evoke the spirit of Dolly herself, such as earrings, new lips and a few butterflies. Lingerfelt and Valentine will collaborate during the restoration to ensure the enhancements blend with the original artwork.
Megan Lingerfelt has been working with Dogwood Arts, the Downtown Knoxville Alliance, and City of Knoxville on various downtown projects in recent years, including a number of murals in Strong Alley.
According to Lingerfelt, “As soon as I heard Dolly was tagged I knew several other pieces in the alley would have also been hit. It is known as "graffiti alley" so I am not surprised that people still tag there, though I am disappointed that they chose to target several artworks instead of the less developed walls. I love the idea that there is a place where artists can go and paint at will - that is really special - but unfortunately we can't expect everyone to respect it. Colton, the artist who created the Dolly piece, talked with me at length about how graffiti culture promotes the street art we love; they're symbiotic in a way. Many businesses want murals to draw attention, to support local artists, but also to combat graffiti. When he painted Dolly he covered a really awesome piece; that's the nature of the beast. Dolly wasn't commissioned, so technically she's kinda graffiti too. However there is a huge difference between an artist creating something for a neighborhood to enjoy rather than destroying it. You can't really stop tagging. You can prepare for it with specialized coatings, be ready to repair it, and hope for the best.”