City of Lynchburg, Virginia
EveryColorSpeaks
A public mural project born from the streets, stories, and spirit of Lynchburg — where every brushstroke carries a voice.
About the Mural
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Art doesn't decorate space — it transforms it.
Art is a language, and like any language, not everyone speaks every dialect. This mural isn't meant to be explained in a single glance. It's meant to invite a pause, a question, and a conversation.
Commissioned by the City of Lynchburg, this large-scale mural weaves together the histories, cultures, and dreams of the community it calls home. Each color was chosen with intention. Each figure, each form, each line tells a story that Lynchburg has been waiting to see reflected back at itself.
Located in the heart of the city, the mural stands as a permanent testament to what happens when a community dares to imagine itself in full color.
Downtown Lynchburg, Virginia
2024
Meet the Artists
The Hands Behind the Vision
Two artists. One shared belief: that color is a language everyone speaks.
Muralist | Creative Director | Graphic Designer
Christina Davis
Christina Davis is a Lynchburg, Virginia–based fine artist, muralist, educator, and community arts advocate known for vibrant portraiture, bold color, and work centered on identity, representation, and human connection. A Lynchburg native and University of Lynchburg alumna, her work has become a visible part of the city's public-art landscape, particularly through large-scale murals celebrating community and Black voices. Beyond her studio and mural practice, Davis is deeply involved in arts education, teaching painting, drawing, and mixed media to youth and adults. Her work sits at the intersection of public art, representation, education, and community building, using visual storytelling to help people feel seen and to create meaningful connections within the places they call home.
Muralist | Artist | Teacher
Jawansa Hall
Jawansa Hall is a Lynchburg, Virginia–based creative director, brand strategist, art director, and visual artist with more than two decades of experience in branding, design, marketing, and storytelling. He is the founder of Blackwater Branding and Brand Therapy and has advised more than 120 entrepreneurs and small-business owners through his work with the Lynchburg Region Small Business Development Center. His creative practice blends strategy and design with a strong interest in identity, culture, community, and the ways visual communication can help people and organizations better understand who they are. As an artist, Hall works across painting, mixed media, public art, and large-scale murals, using abstraction, portraiture, and cultural symbolism to explore Black identity, community, and the human experience. His work has been exhibited throughout the Lynchburg region, including his Controlled Chaos: The Art of Becoming Whole exhibition at the Academy Center of the Arts.
Art Education
Learn Through Color
Every Color Speaks isn't just a mural — it's a classroom without walls. Explore these lessons inspired by the project and bring the art of public muralism into your own practice.
The Language of Color
Explore how artists use color to communicate emotion, identity, and story. Learn the basics of color theory — hue, value, and saturation — and practice mixing colors that express a feeling or memory.
Materials
Watercolors or colored pencils, white paper, color wheel reference
Telling Your Community's Story
Public murals are community portraits. In this lesson, students research their neighborhood's history and sketch a mural concept that honors a local story, person, or place — just like Every Color Speaks honors Lynchburg.
Materials
Sketchbook, pencils, reference photos, markers
Scale & Composition
How do muralists take a small sketch and translate it to a massive wall? Learn the grid method for scaling artwork, and practice composing a scene that works at both small and large scales.
Materials
Graph paper, ruler, pencils, large newsprint or butcher paper
Paint Like a Muralist
Get hands-on with the techniques used in Every Color Speaks — bold flat color, layering, and expressive mark-making. Work on a collaborative mini-mural panel with your class or group.
Materials
Acrylic paint, wide brushes, primed canvas board or foam core
Free educator resource packet — includes lesson plans, vocabulary, and discussion guides.
Made Possible By
Our Sponsors
Every Color Speaks exists because of the generous support of individuals, businesses, and organizations who believe in the power of public art to strengthen community.
Sponsor One
Presenting
Sponsor Two
Presenting
Sponsor Three
Supporting
Sponsor Four
Supporting
Sponsor Five
Community
Sponsor Six
Community
Every Color Speaks is a City of Lynchburg public art initiative, made possible through the generosity of our sponsors and the belief that art belongs to everyone.