More color and creativity is coming to South Knoxville with the installation of a second mural along the upcoming SoKno Rail Trail & Art Walk.
This mural “Shiny Objects” by artist Naomi Haverland, is being painted on the vertical tower portion of Kern’s Bakery at 2201 Kerns Rising Way. It is one of four large-scale murals planned for the Art Walk, which will transform blank walls throughout the corridor into an evolving outdoor art gallery.
Over the coming months, additional murals and four larger-than-life sculptures will be installed along the trail, creating a vibrant and unique outdoor art experience accessible to everyone.
A $1 million gift from the Lawson Family Foundation is funding the initial installations along the Art Walk. The collection will feature unique, diverse, and engaging works by local, regional and nationally-renowned artists. In addition to murals and sculptures, the Art Walk will incorporate rail inspired elements, landscape architecture, and youth-created works.
“Shiny Objects” by Naomi Haverland
Haverland lives in Florida and travels extensively to create murals and large-scale artwork inspired by her surroundings. Her work is designed to surprise viewers and create a sense of delight while telling stories that connect to the places where her murals are installed.
For “Shiny Objects,” Haverland drew inspiration from fishing lures – as a nod to East Tennessee and an ordinary object with surprisingly beautiful features.
“I was drawn to fishing lures because they’re such unexpectedly beautiful objects. They’re designed to catch the eye, with reflective metals, vivid colors, intricate patterns, and shapes that mimic living things. Enlarging them to an exaggerated scale gave me an opportunity to really celebrate those details.
Fishing is also a familiar part of life in Knoxville and East Tennessee, so the subject felt connected to the place while still giving me room to approach it in a playful and unexpected way. I wanted to maximize the trompe l’oeil effect, painting the lures as dimensional objects hanging from the building and using strong cast shadows to make them feel like they’re actually suspended from the wall.
I love creating murals that make people look twice, and I hope this one turns something small and familiar into something surprising, beautiful, and a little larger than life.”
Haverland is no stranger to Knoxville. In 2024, she completed a mural as part of the KnoxWalls at Emory Place Mural Project.
“We want the Art Walk to be a fun, intriguing, entertaining and thought-provoking experience for everyone on the SoKno Rail Trail. Naomi’s mural will be just that – and beautiful as well,” said Carol Evans, Executive Director of Legacy Parks Foundation.
The SoKno Rail Trail & Art Walk is a 3.8-mile rail-to-trail project connecting Chapman Highway to Ijams Nature Center. The Art Walk will be a vibrant 1.5-mile segment of the trail, from Chapman Highway to Island Home, integrating art, nature and recreation into an accessible experience for all. Specially commissioned art pieces will showcase works by local, regional and nationally renowned artists.
The SoKno Rail Trail and Art Walk is a project by Legacy Parks Foundation in collaboration with Gulf and Ohio Railway, the City of Knoxville and Dogwood Arts.
The project is designed to make extraordinary art accessible to everyone while blending art, nature and recreation into one unique destination.
Dogwood Arts is managing artist selection, coordination, and art installations of much of the art along the corridor.
The SoKno Rail Trail & Art Walk is scheduled to open in Fall 2026. Additional artists and artwork will be announced as installation continues.
