Dunwoody’s iconic “Everything Will Be OK” mural will soon find a new home at Brook Run Park.
The mural by artist Jason Kofke has had a 10-year stint on the side of the Spruill Gallery smokehouse building at 4681 Ashford-Dunwoody Road but will now be replaced by rotating, outdoor art installations.
Kofke said he is excited for that location to become a place for more dynamic art experiments. The mural will be in the park within the next few months, according to a Spruill Center for the Arts press release.
The Spruill Center for the Arts will have an annual, outdoor art competition that will display pieces from a different local, state or national artist each year on the smokehouse building. The pieces will be unveiled each October during Dunwoody’s Art and Culture month.
“We want to give the next generation of artists a platform to share their work,” Kofke said in an email.
Dunwoody resident Christopher Michaels won the inaugural award and will create a design that is set to be unveiled on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. in that location, according to a press release.
“My mural design is inspired by hope, determination and triumph over adversity, and I am thrilled to have an opportunity to share that same positivity with the people of Dunwoody with my art,” Michaels said in the press release.
Michaels will receive a $5,000 grant for the project and up to $1,000 for supplies, said Alan Mothner, the arts center’s CEO. The winner will also become the Dunwoody Artist in Residence for a week, according to the press release. Through a partnership with the Residence Inn by Marriott, the arts center will provide the artist with a welcome package featuring free meals and drinks from local restaurants.
People will be able to purchase a limited-edition print of the new art installation each year, according to the press release.
“I hope the new artwork becomes something the city really looks forward to each year,” Mothner told the Reporter.
vKofke said he’s “humbled” that his mural has resonated so deeply with residents, and he hopes its new home will make it the motto of the city. Many residents already consider it the city’s unofficial slogan. When Kofke put up the mural, which has turned into an ongoing street art project that explores how people deal with catastrophic events, he said he only expected it to be up for a few months.
“I am moved that this project evolved to hold meaning in the neighborhoods in Dunwoody,” Kofke said. “The most gracious thing I think I can do to honor this project is to let it change.”