Artist: Emily Morrison

Location: Corner of E. Ohio & S. Gay

Completed: June 2026

Created as a museum gallery wall filled with frames, pedestals, and displays, this illustration celebrates the creativity and diversity of Knox County’s artistic community. The project was designed to provide a platform for local artists of all backgrounds, mediums, styles, and experience levels.

The artwork incorporates submissions from thirty-nine artists who either live in Knox County or maintain strong connections to the community. Beyond showcasing contemporary creativity, the project also contributed to the discovery of several previously undocumented artworks within the Knox County Historical Society Museum collection. These pieces are now being photographed and documented, helping preserve and share the county’s artistic heritage for future generations.

Artist: Emily Morrison

Location: Corner of W. Vine & S. Mulberry

Completed: June 2026

Inspired by the rich visual storytelling of Studio Ghibli films, where trains, aircraft, ships, and other forms of transportation often play memorable roles, this piece celebrates the vehicles and infrastructure that connected Mount Vernon to the wider world throughout its history.

Featured within the artwork are a passenger steam locomotive similar to those that served Mount Vernon until passenger rail service ended in December 1950, a trolley representing the city’s streetcar era from 1892 to 1916, and a bridge constructed by the Mount Vernon Bridge Company, which operated from 1880 to 1962. The composition also honors Knox County’s aviation heritage through the inclusion of a WACO aircraft, reflecting the continued legacy of WACO aviation and the annual National WACO Club Reunion held at Wynkoop Airport.

Artist: Emily Morrison

Location: Corner of E. Gambier & S. Main

Completed: May 2026

Inspired by the storytelling style of Norman Rockwell, this piece honors four women whose contributions helped shape the fields of medicine, nursing, military service, and public health. A military duffle bag serves as the centerpiece, overflowing with medical tools, documents, and symbolic objects connected to their lives and achievements. Additional details, including name tapes and personal references, appear throughout the exterior of the bag.

Represented within the work are Helen Grace McClelland, one of the most decorated U.S. Army nurses of World War I and a leader in modernizing nursing education; Mary Ann “Mother” Bickerdyke, who established field hospitals during the Civil War and later advocated for veterans and their families; Dr. Ellamae Simmons, a Mount Vernon native who became the first Black female physician in the United States to specialize in immunology; and Dr. Jane Payne, Mount Vernon’s first female physician, who overcame significant physical disabilities to graduate at the top of her medical school class.

Among the many hidden details is a reproduction of the closing paragraph from Dr. Payne’s 1861 graduation thesis, painted using her original handwriting and serving as a direct connection to her remarkable perseverance and accomplishments.

Artist: Emily Morrison

Location: Corner of Ohio Ave. & S. Main

Completed: September 2025

This piece features a three-dimensional basket overflowing with apples, painted in a style that merges elements of soft pastel realism and impressionism. The artistic approach was intentionally chosen to reflect the life and legacy of Johnny Appleseed. Soft pastel realism was experiencing its Golden Age during much of his lifetime, while impressionism began to emerge near the end of his era.

Artist: Emily Morrison

Location: Corner of E. Vine & S. Main

Completed: September 2025

Created in a style inspired by coloring books and comic art, this vibrant illustration celebrates Mount Vernon’s designation as a Bee City in 2022 and the community’s commitment to supporting pollinators. The piece features dozens of flowers known to provide food and habitat for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects, including several native species commonly used in pollinator conservation efforts.

Every flower and insect has been painted to scale, allowing viewers to appreciate the remarkable diversity of pollinator species, including some of the smallest and most easily overlooked. The artwork serves as both a celebration of local biodiversity and a reminder of the important role pollinators play in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

Artist: Emily Morrison

Location: Corner of Public Square and W. High (PNC Bank)

Completed: August 2025

Designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding brickwork, this piece tells the story of music’s role in breaking down social and racial barriers within the community. The broken bricks symbolize the barriers challenged by the Snowden Family, whose influence helped make possible Marian Anderson’s performance in Mount Vernon only weeks before her historic Civil Rights-era concert at the Lincoln Memorial.

Leaning against the wall is a recreation of one of the many instruments played by the Snowden Family Band during the mid-1800s. Their musical legacy remains preserved today through artifacts and documents held by the Knox County Historical Society Museum, while one of the family’s original banjos is part of the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American.

Artist: Emily Morrison

Location: Corner of E. Chestnut & N. Main

Completed: May 2025

Drawing inspiration from the iconic artwork of America’s national park posters, this piece highlights the natural beauty found throughout Knox County’s parks and trail systems. Recognizable landmarks such as the Kokosing River, Honey Run Falls, and other local destinations are woven together into a single landscape celebrating the region’s outdoor heritage.

Hidden throughout the scene are native wildlife species that call these habitats home, including the endangered Eastern Hellbender. Viewers are encouraged to explore the artwork closely and discover the plants and animals that make these natural spaces unique.

Artist: Alexandra Stevens

Location: Corner of N. Gay & E. High

Completed: September 2024

While appearing fully abstract from a distance, up close this box’s artwork reveals a host of food, culture, activity, and more that make Mount Vernon special.

Artist: John Donnelly

Location: Public Square

Completed: August 2024

Installed near the Veterans Wall of Honor and Memorial Walk, this original piece, created by John Donnelly, honors Mount Vernon and Knox County’s service members.

Artist: Emily Morrison

Location: Corner of N. Mulberry & W. High

Completed: May 2024

Inspired by the stories that shape childhood, this illustrated piece celebrates the power of books to spark imagination, curiosity, and wonder. A bookshelf overflowing with volumes from a variety of genres invites viewers to search for familiar characters, beloved stories, and hidden details tucked among the shelves.

Created to encourage both nostalgia and discovery, the work serves as a reminder of the stories that helped define generations and the importance of continuing a lifelong relationship with reading. Among the many hidden elements is the earliest appearance of what would later become known as The Green Dragon, a character that has since become a recognizable landmark identifier within the community.