NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — You've probably heard us here at NewsChannel 5 proudly talking about a beautiful, new mural on display downtown, one we commissioned as a gift to the city. Well, that mural just got a very special guest, actress Mariska Hargitay.
"It's sort of this little portal of goodness and fun and letting in your own good," artist Kimberly Clo told us when we met her in November, ahead of the mural's creation. "I'm creating for these people who are going to be driving by! This is the biggest canvas, the biggest creation I have made yet."
What would people think of her work? Who would come to visit?
"It's been such a wild, beautiful ride," Kimberly said, now standing next to her completed mural.
The mural titled Embrace is at Third Ave. N. and Bankers Alley in downtown Nashville.
"It's embracing the ways we're all different and unique," she explained.
There have been nice surprises. Nashville Mural Tours has added the piece as a stop and people are sending in their pictures. Now comes a new surprise.
"She posted three times on her Instagram!" Kimberly laughed.
A visit to Embrace has just been made by actress Mariska Hargitay who you've probably seen on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
"I'm a kid from the 90s!" Kimberly said. "I grew up seeing her all my life!"
What Kimberly loves even more than the TV and film work is Hargitay's founding of the Joyful Heart Foundation, working with survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.
"The logo for her foundation, it has a heart," Kimberly said. "It speaks to something already in her heart. It made me happy not only that a celebrity liked it, but a celebrity whose heart is in alignment with what my values are and your values are. It's just a very sweet synchronicity."
There are little details in the piece only Kimberly knows, like the nail she placed level with her heart. She loves when the light pours in just right.
"All the way up there, that circle, there's jewels in it, and there's sparkle," said Kimberly. "There's a lot of intention in every corner of this piece. I remember doing this. I remember every little dot, and I don't feel it's mine anymore. This isn't mine now. It belongs to the people who come here."
If you stop by our mural, make sure to snap a photo like Mariska, and share it with us below — orvisit our Embrace page to see others who have snapped photos there, too!
