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Artist Chooses Hattiesburg for her 50 State Mural Tour

March 17, 2022

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – An artist who is trying to paint a mural in all 50 states chose Hattiesburg for her Mississippi location.

Kayla Newnam of Phoenix, AZ is currently in the Hub City, working on an article for the Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art.

“I decided during the pandemic that I wanted to buy a camper, travel and paint,” said Newnam. “The idea kind of spiraled into I’m going to do one in every state for the next three or four years.”

So far, she is early in her journey but has many states lined up.

“I’ve done Arizona, then we went to Colorado, Wyoming, Texas and Louisiana,” said Newnam. “So, then this is Mississippi and then I’m off to Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee next.”

HAPA continues to push to get the Hub City to 100 murals. When looking for their next artist, Newnam came to them. It was a clear choice for HAPA.

“Kayla actually reached out to us,” said Marlo Dorsey. “She really looked at what Hattiesburg was doing and wanted to make her mark in Hattiesburg, so she picked us out of every other community in the state to really come here and showcase her creativity and help it really meld into what our very creative, vibrant art scene is.”

The mural being worked on is set to be finished in about 10 days, weather permitting.