Three vibrant new murals are coming to the Asheville Black Cultural Heritage Trail, and the first one was unveiled last week.
Explore Asheville commissioned local artist Tommy Lee McGee to complete the murals, adding education through public art to the trail.
You can see McGee’s first installment, “Black Girl Magic,” on the side of The Whale’s South Slope taproom.
The mural depicts a young Black girl watering a thriving garden around her.
“Black Girl Magic is my thank you card to the Black and Brown women both in my life and in this community, country, and globally who have shown up tirelessly for their families despite feeling unseen and unacknowledged,” said McGee. “The little girl inside of them rarely receives nurturing, so they ultimately must water their own garden.”
The Asheville Black Cultural Heritage Trail opened in December 2023 to celebrate and preserve the history of Black Asheville and the people who built communities and created social change in our city.
Keep an eye out for more of McGee’s work coming to the River Arts District this fall and The Block on Eagle Street in spring 2026.
