STORYBOX Mural for Art on the Atlanta Beltline 2021

3/8/2026

Just around this time in 2021, I was ramping up to submit a mural proposal to Art on the Atlanta Beltline Westside Beltline Trail. The idea for the mural was born when I was doing infrastructure design work on a City of Atlanta project. Working on engineering, design, and construction projects on municipal projects gave me time to look at the infrastructure and social history of Atlanta. That history runs deep, literally and figuratively. I considered how my work as a civil engineer impacted the lives of Atlanta’s residents. I thought about short and long-term infrastructure planning, redlining, trees, and waterways. But mostly, I thought about the people who lived in and loved the Westside of Atlanta. Their stories intrigued me. I realized that many of those voices had never, and would never, be heard.

Designing underground water and sewage lines for the Rodney Cook Sr. Park in Vine City made me wonder about the families there, the impacts of infrastructure development on communities, and what the westside of Atlanta would become 30 years from now. I developed my concept and submitted a proposal to Art on the Atlanta Beltline in 2021. My vision for the project was so small. But as I worked with Miranda Kyle, she challenged me to think bigger and offered me a mural location under Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. near Cascade Road on the Westside Trail. I’d already been playing with augmented reality, murals, and creating podcasts for creative community projects. Working on this project allowed me to put my varied skill sets together for one massive interactive, public art installation.

I called some friends, long-time residents and transplants, to ask for help in finding the participants. I decided to focus on the voices of Black men, and I wanted them to be community contributors, with a voice and a love for their community. With the help of good friends, we came up with 10 willing participants who would allow me to showcase them on the mural, and most importantly, be a part of the documentation process for The Storybox Mural Project. The interviews touched on the notion of HOME: What it means, why it is important, and who it belongs to.

The documentary podcast features the powerful voices of George Cathcart, Jacques Traylor, Jeff Bond, Richard Dunn, Julian K. Smith, Jr., Greg Ponder, Vincent Reynolds, Shannon McCullom, J.R. Murphy, and Jeremiah Evans. They are each a treasure in their own unique way. I am grateful for their participation in this project. The mural incorporates an Instagram filter designed to let you hear a snippet of their voices. Their full interviews provide insight on what they loved about the westside and their vision for its future. The full episodes are available on Spotify STORYBOX: An Art on the Atlanta Beltline Mural Project by TeMika Grooms.

If you get a chance to walk on the Westside Trail, I hope you walk slowly, take in the cool shade, hear the silence of the underpass, and listen to the voices of the 10 men who had something to say about the city we all love. #FILA
---TeMika Grooms