City of Talladega Blog

(Talladega, AL) You can’t take home a Jeff Hallman mural but, if you’re a good sleuth, you might secure one of his free paintings during an art drop next week.

In conjunction with the completion of Conscious, a massive downtown mural commissioned by the city of Talladega, Hallman will hide two small works of art in two different locations in town. Clues about the location of each piece will be posted on the City of Talladega Government Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.  The person who finds the pieces gets to keep them.

If you’re not swift enough to snag a free painting, you can take a selfie in front of one of Jeff’s murals.  Conscious, which adorns the LMo & Co. building, features a woman in nature with flowing green hair.  Unifying, the first mural Hallman painted in Talladega, graces the Alabama Consumer Law Group/Campbell & Campbell office. Unifying was funded through a grant the City of Talladega applied for and received from Alabama Power. Both pieces evoke joy and invite passersby to pause and be photographed.

“The excitement about Jeff Hallman’s murals has been palpable.  His work has increased both unity and pride throughout our community,” said City Manager Seddrick Hill Sr. “In the past year, over 30 new businesses opened in Talladega. These businesses are helping to attract people to our city, and the murals help create a sense of place that makes people desire to stay longer once they arrive.”

“I am thrilled to have an opportunity to create another piece of art in my hometown, and thankful to be given the trust to paint intuitively and let the art express itself,” said Hallman, a Talladega native who currently resides in Berlin, Germany. “The intuitive idea is that it is for viewers to decide for themselves how it makes them feel and what they believe it means.”

Hallman’s parents, Jerry Hallman and the late Brenda Clardy Hallman, were both Talladegans.  His grandfather started King Tires, which is now run by his father and his uncle.

Jeff attended R.I. Young Elementary School and Talladega High School.  His mother, who passed away during the pandemic, was a beloved artist who taught classes at R.I. Young and designed the school t-shirts for many years.

For additional information, contact Mary Sood at msood@talladega.com.