(July 31, 2023)
Nestled in downtown Greeneville, a community undergoing considerable change aimed
at growth in tourism and business, are a pair of vibrant paintings. One stands as the start of a mural trail in the town. Anchored by a dark green background,
the work includes a coonskin cap, a nod to Davy Crockett, a silhouette of President
Andrew Johnson and a lovely pink-and-purple iris.
The other is an impressive rendering of the USS Greeneville, an attack submarine named for the town following a successful public relations campaign in the 1980s and 1990s.
With an inscription that reads “volunteers defending frontiers,” the art shows the submarine emerging from the sea, flanked by a dolphin and white waves.
Both murals, painted three years apart and designed to highlight an outdoor space just outside the Greene County Partnership building, have something in common.
The artists are graduates of East Tennessee State University, crossing the stage nearly
34 years to the day after one another.
Joe Kilday, a member of the class of 1978, painted Greeneville’s namesake submarine.
Samantha Culbertson, who graduated in 2012, authored the mural that is a nod to local
history depicted in a modern style.
“I felt compelled to attend college. My aunt saw a drawing I did when I was young,
and she encouraged my mom to get me to take a painting course,” said Kilday, who eventually
won an arts-related scholarship to ETSU.
Kilday joined the Navy in the 1970s, taking a break from his college studies before
returning and earning his degree.
Culbertson felt a call toward drawing as a child, doodling on scraps of paper.
She found her way to ETSU, receiving a degree in Fine Arts.
“I had a wonderful time there, learning as much as I could about traditional art, art history and how it all comes together,” she said. “I have been fortunate to stay in this area and find a niche for myself.”
Over the years, both artists have crafted works seen by thousands.
Culbertson served as art director and a graphic designer for a regional marketing firm, co-founded a women-owned art agency and continues to produce a wide range of designs, including logos and presentations, as well as website and email design.
Kilday is well-known to scores of Greeneville residents. A veteran and retired quality
control specialist, his artwork appears at the corner of Summer and Main Streets,
the Greeneville-Greene County History Museum and even the State House in Nashville.
“I learned a lot in my time at ETSU,” he said. “I’m grateful for the opportunities
I had there.”
Street art is transforming downtowns both in the Appalachian Highlands and across the United States. Signaling civic pride and a culture that supports the arts, it is beautifying neighborhoods and aiding in tourism marketing.
And ETSU is home to a thriving arts community, holding dozens of concerts and exhibitions each year.
This kind of embrace of the arts is helping young artists like me. I am thrilled
about that, and so thankful for the training I received at ETSU early in my career.