#WhatLiftsYou Wings

Kelsey Montague’s #WhatLiftsYou Wings is one of the most recognizable murals in Nashville. Her wing campaign began in 2015, adding her inspirational artistic touch to cities around the world from Melbourne to Basel to New York City. The Nashville mural, painted in 2017, is located at 302 Eleventh Ave South. Standing twenty three feet high, Montague used sixty paint pens to complete the wings. At the time of its completion, it was the largest #WhatLiftsYou Wings of Montague’s career.

Just before Montague painted her Nashville mural, her name appeared in publications such as Forbes after Taylor Swift took a picture with Montague’s wings mural in New York City. When asked about her work, she said: “My murals specifically invite people into a piece and then invite people to share their experience online. I believe that art should not be separated from the human experience. Instead the human experience should have a hand in creating the art itself.” Montague’s #WhatLiftsYou has certainly tapped into the human experience, creating a trend frenzy with people lined up around the block to take a picture in front of her Nashville mural. In April 2019, the frenzy grew when Swift commissioned Montague to paint a colorful set of wings next to the Ian Ross mural commemorating the launch of Swift’s album Lover. Fans lined up for hours to meet Swift and take selfies with her in front the the mural. Painted on sections of plywood, the mural was removed a few weeks later.

Proof that passion and determination pay off, Montague’s success was long in the making. After graduating from Richmond University in London and studying art in Florence, she was rejected from several galleries. She then decided to pursue art in her own way and on her own terms. Montague credits social media with "the democratization of art" and urges those who pose with her mural to share their photos using the hashtag #WhatLiftsYou along with what inspires them. 

Once you have snapped a photo, you can continue down Eleventh Avenue South until you reach Pine Street. Turn RIGHT onto Pine Street. Turn LEFT once you reach Twelfth Avenue South and you will immediately see Station Inn on your left.