GEODIS Park

Public art has the power to shape the energy within a community. The theme of the mural is "The Beautiful Game" because soccer is for all and played around the world. Hearts and souls are poured into this game from abandoned lots to brand new soccer stadiums.

Soccer is loved and rooted in the community and crosses all barriers of culture and socioeconomic limitations. It's more than a sport - it brings people together and sparks joy.

"I will be creating a mural that depicts the love and passion of those who play the game in a scene that is inviting. This is a moment for visitors to truly be in the action, and feel a part of the community." -Woke3

Jamal Jenkins, known artistically as Woke3, is a melanated muralist and mixed-media artist from Norf Nashville. Woke3 has a special gift: he has the ability to make people feel connected, appreciated, respected, and completely submerged in his art works. His works are greatly praised by the community for being inclusive, diverse, and having the ability to show how no one thing is greater than another, expressing his heart for a more equitable world for all.

KEVIN BONGANG

Born in Cameroon and raised in the Southeastern United States, Bongang acquired his B.F.A. and M.F.A. in Illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and has made his way as an identifiable public artist around Nashville. His signature style is awash in bold and fun colors, swirling lines and whimsical imagery. The result is organic, functional and cohesive environmental art from large scale murals to school playgrounds, and everything in between. Kevin was commissioned by Nashville SC and Heineken to create this original diptych for the Heineken Supporter’s Bar. His mission was to embody the love, vibe and passion for Nashville and the Boys in Gold. Each of the six supporters groups (The Assembly, Eastern Front, La Brigada de Oro, MixTape 615, Music City Heaters, and The Roadies) were asked to submit objects representing their groups. Bongang was challenged to plant them as “Easter Eggs,” integrating them into the work as a representation of the integral role supporters play in the culture of soccer and Nashville SC.

Can you find them and guess which group each belongs to?

LUCHA LIBRE MASK

CASSETTE TAPE

FLAG AN ICE COLD MUG OF BEER

SKULL

THREE CROWS

THE PARTHENON

Tony Sobota has spent the last decade immersed in the art of construction and Nashville’s changing landscape, forming his interests into an ongoing series of observational studies and mixed-media paintings. His newest work captures Nashville SC’s new home, opening May 1, 2022.

The “Art of Construction” series won him top honors as a part of the Nashville Arts and Business Council’s Periscope class of 2017. Sobota has garnered several grant awards, including his "Little Kurdistan Community Mural," completed in 2019 and featured on NPR. His Nashville cityscape, “5th & Broad,” was chosen for Artfields 2021, one of the largest art shows in the South. His corporate collections include Verizon, Flagstar Bank, Metro Nashville, Graduate Hotels, and Chartwell Hospitality, among others.

Feeling aligned with his focus, exaggerated perspective, and the scale of his portfolio, Nashville SC commissioned Sobota to paint our new stadium, shedding light on this significant and beautiful moment in Nashville. The original 48"x68" piece will hang in a place of honor with the club, and high-quality prints were gifted to premium club members as a special thank you to commemorate this pivotal moment in club history. Nashville SC is honored to include Tony Sobota in the many art initiatives connecting the importance of our community to the beautiful game of soccer.

“I’m endlessly curious about which colors don’t get along, which colors do, and whether or not a certain color has a perfect match. More often they don’t, but built up to a collective surface these color spectrums eventually learn to live together. Once a painting is “mature” they become portraits of how differing values, hues, and intensities become gathering places for beauty. Whether compositions end up staying “on grid”, morphing into organic blobs, or traveling into free-form improvisations, these color relationships provide the primary organizing feature of my paintings.” - Tony Sobota

Sobota's work can be found at www.tonysobota.com, on the Nashville Artist Collective site, or on Instagram.