HAPA UNVEILS ‘DAYLILY DESTINATION’ MURAL, CELEBRATES CITY’S OFFICIAL FLOWER

HATTIESBURG, MS (Nov. 14, 2022) – Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art, along with project partners, unveiled the city’s newest large-scale public art today. Titled ‘Daylily Destination,’ the mural celebrates Hattiesburg’s official flower – the daylily.

In 2008, Hattiesburg City Council adopted the daylily as the city’s flower, and a decade later Hattiesburg was the first city in the nation to be given the designation as a “Daylily City” by the American Daylily Society.

“The Hattiesburg Area Daylily Society is excited to share our love of daylilies with the people of Hattiesburg through this beautiful mural,” Chuck Holcomb, Hattiesburg Area Daylily Society president said.

Ahead of blooming season, the Hattiesburg Area Daylily Society will plant special variations of the plant in front of the mural, creating an immersive experience for locals and visitors.

Designed and painted by Hattiesburg native Kym Braley Garraway, the bright artwork features various species of daylilies as well as monarch butterflies. Marking the city’s 37th large-scale mural, it is also HAPA’s first project to be completed on metal.

“I am very thankful to be selected by HAPA as the artist to complete this project. Hattiesburg’s city flower inspires me because it blooms a new radiance daily – as we all should toward one another,” Garraway said.

Approximately 50 feet wide and more than 10 feet tall, the mural was funded by HAPA, along with the Hattiesburg Area Daylily Society and property owners Andrew and Laura Waites.

“We are always happy when public art showcases the multifaceted culture of our community. This new mural highlights the outdoor and artistic offerings found in Hattiesburg,” HAPA Program Director Kristen Brock said. “This mural is located on a highly-trafficked thoroughfare and we are extremely grateful to the property owners for allowing HAPA to showcase public art on such a prominent building facade.”

To learn more about HAPA or for a map of existing public art in Hattiesburg, visit HAPA’s Facebook and Instagram pages or hburgart.com.