Project Overview

I Love Memphis Mural | McLemore at the Stax Museum

The I Love Memphis mural series expresses the love for the City in a series of designs by local artists. Designs were chosen from competition entries. I Love Memphis murals have been realized at locations throughout the area, here on a cottage owned by LeMoyne-Owen College across from the Stax Museum.

“Naturally, with a location across the street of the former Stax Records location, the mural features a musical theme.”

The I Love Memphis mural #6 was created by Memphis artists Whitney Kerr and Jeanyne Lewis. It envelops a quaint building directly across the street from the national Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Naturally, with a location across the street of the former Stax Records location, the mural features a musical theme. Two keyboards cover the sidewall of the building in a stepped design. At the top, colorful geometric patterns refer to the typical graphics used during the heyday of Memphis soul in the 1960s. The other side of the triangular building shows the I Love Memphis motto, a feature included in all murals of the series.

About the Artists

Jeanyne Lewis

Jeanyne Lewis graduated from Memphis College of Art and interned shortly at the UrbanArt Commission before completing this mural. She now lives in Baton Rouge, LA as an administrative assistant at the LDAF. She continues to pursue art in her spare time. Her work is inspired by fashion illustration and black beauty.

Whitney Kerr

Whitney Kerr graduated from Memphis College of Art in 2015 and served as an intern at UrbanArt Commission. She now lives and works in Kansas City, MO. Her work often reflects on abandoned buildings and other structures. The artist says, "Taking photos of these locations serves as personal documentation and also reference material for future paintings. By painting an image of my experience in the location on found wood, I preserve the building’s existence and the moments I had there. I leave most of the original material of each piece exposed in order to stress the importance of both the painting and the object. These pieces become personal relics of the abandoned location, ensuring the buildings’ survival and preservation but also serving as a gateway to my own memories within the site." Whitney's work has been showcased in a number of shows throughout the country, including Kansas City, Portland, and of course, Memphis.