“In Plain Sight”

The mural on Hwy. 41A features oversized depictions of the Sewanee purple phacelia (Phacelia sewaneensis), a wildflower recently identified as a new species by researchers working in Shakerag Hollow.

Sewanee Biology Professor Jon Evans and his colleague Ashley Morris, a 1997 Sewanee graduate now teaching at Furman University, led the research. Their work revealed that the purple-flowered plant, long thought to be the same species as a more common blue-flowered relative, is distinct and appears to be unique to the Cumberland Plateau.

The mural connects this scientific discovery with the landscape that made it possible, celebrating the Domain’s distinctive geology and ecology and the discoveries still waiting to be made here.

The project grew out of community workshops in 2024 that identified public art as a priority for the Sewanee Village.

A wildflower that was hiding in plain sight is now impossible to miss. Next time you’re downtown, take a closer look.

The In Plain Sight mural is located on Hwy. 41A in downtown Sewanee. It was made possible by a grant from the State of Tennessee as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration, with project administration by Do. More. Art., a nonprofit that supports public art in small towns. This project is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.