Amanda Burke, a local artist in Athens, said she completed a 100-foot mural titled "Georgia Flora" beneath the city's Greenway Trail and designed it to evoke flowers tied to memories of growing up in Georgia.

Burke said the mural is located "along the Greenway Trail, specifically below the trail," so people walking, running or biking on the trail pass over the artwork. She said the mural is not intended to depict strictly native plants but rather "flowers that are associated with Georgia in people's memories," such as camellias and gardenias.

Burke described the project's selection and installation process. She said she was part of a group of artists who proposed the project and that she was "chosen in a blind, from a blind panel." She said she projected her sketch onto a photograph of the wall to visualize it before work began. "Once I was able to get the go ahead, I had to clean a 100 feet of the wall first, and then I had to prime the wall and then purchase all the paint to cover 100 feet of wall," Burke said.

Burke said she painted the mural in May, working through hot and rainy conditions. "I pretty much worked in the month of May, which ended up being close to 80, 90 degrees most of the time, and then super rainy," she said. She said the work was a "patience game" and encouraged other artists to submit public-art proposals. "I would absolutely, recommend that people try to submit for any proposals, and I would say public art proposals," she said, adding that feedback indicates a desire for more public art in Athens.

On the value of public art, Burke said, "So, I think public art engages the community, and I think it connects people together." The transcript does not specify whether the mural was commissioned or funded by a government body, and Burke did not provide cost or contract details.

No formal action or decision was recorded in the meeting transcript about the mural; the remarks appeared during a public-comment segment and described the completed installation and the artist's experience.