THE POPLIN - CHATTANOOGA
40ft x 25ft ACRYLIC PAINT ON SIDING
Something a bit different from my usual gradient style—this new piece was created for the Milltown community at the Poplin Apartments here in Chattanooga, TN. The goal was to weave together the area's industrial past with the energy of its new chapter—playful, vibrant, and welcoming.
You’ll find nods to the old poplin textile machinery, a cotton-filled warehouse scene from the early 1900s, and familiar local landmarks—all wrapped in bold, colorful forms.
This was my first mural back after a year-long recovery from an injury that had me off my feet for months. Grateful to be back on the walls!
More about the mill:
The Standard Coosa Mill was once an icon of Chattanooga’s manufacturing might. Neglected at the heart of the Ridgedale and Oak Grove neighborhoods—a shell of the building has stood for decades, empty and in disrepair— a stark contrast to Chattanooga’s celebrated city center just two miles North East.
Built in 1916, the Standard-Coosa-Thatcher textile mill employed tens of thousands of Chattanoogans, many of whom lived in the nearby Watkins Street neighborhood. Workers in the mill sorted, processed, and spun cotton into various textiles, including poplin,that would go on to be exported worldwide. To these hard-working Chattanoogans, the mill was always more than just somewhere that manufactured cotton — it was the center of a thriving middle-class community.
De-industrialization hit our city hard in the 20th century. By 2003, the mill was abandoned. Fortunately, nothing is more Chattanoogan than renewal.
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