After facing community backlash for painting over a mural dedicated to the late WSB-TV news anchor Jovita Moore, an owner of the coffee shop responsible for removing the art said a new mural is officially in the design process.
Earlier this summer, Bellwood Coffee came under fire after residents discovered the coffee company’s new cafe in Grant Park covered up a colorful mural dedicated to Moore with dark gray paint and an advertisement for the business.
Moore passed away at age 53 in 2021 from brain cancer. The original mural, which featured her face and name, was painted by local artist Tommy Bronx in November 2021. The work was commissioned by soccer team Atlanta United FC as part of a series of murals across the city depicting community leaders.
After the mural’s cover-up went viral, Bellwood Coffee posted on its Instagram page May 1 that they “made a mistake” and planned to commission a new mural of Moore.
The coffee company, owned by brothers Joel and Charles Norman, along with Tommy Keough, has cafés in Decatur, East Atlanta Village, Riverside, Midtown, and Grant Park, according to the company’s website.
In an email to Capital B Atlanta, Charles Norman said they’re currently working on the mural’s design.
“The new mural has been in the design process since we made our last update in May, and we don’t have much more to share. Jovita’s family has been heavily involved in the process, and we’re respecting their request not to share details until it is ready to unveil,” Norman said.
“Professional murals typically require weeks or months of planning and design before installation, so we have not felt that a new update would add to the information we’ve already shared. We’re excited to share more when the time is right!”
While Norman did not immediately respond to a follow-up email about which artist the company commissioned to paint the new mural, Bronx told the Atlanta Voice on July 6 that he is involved with the project.
“We’re currently working on it. You should see some movement in the weeks to come,” Bronx said.
Bronx did not immediately respond to Capital B Atlanta’s request for comment.
Bronx had previously posted a statement on his instagram that it was “ tough” to see his art covered up.
“It’s been powerful to see how much it meant to the community,” Bronx wrote. “Public art lives in the people and the place it’s created for, and this one clearly resonated. I appreciate everyone who’s spoken up and shown love. Hoping whatever comes next reflects that.”
Bellwood Coffee’s Grant Park location, where the original mural was located, opened at the end of April. Before its public apology in May, the company wrote in a post on X on April 30 that the windows of its new shop cut significantly into the mural and that was one of the reasons for covering it. The company said it didn’t realize how much the mural meant to “the community of Atlanta.”
Caleb Smith, who previously ran a studio business in Grant Park that supported and provided work space for local creatives, said that he’s happy to hear the company is working with Moore’s family to put up a new mural. He said the situation offered a lesson for other companies as well.
“I think that this experience shows that sometimes being reactionary isn’t what’s best. It’s a great pivot, yes, but I just feel like, again, we wouldn’t be in this current standpoint right now if her mural wasn’t touched and covered,” Smith said. “So, again, it’s great to see, but I just think that all of this could have been easily avoided if the owners of the coffee shop had a true proper pulse of the city, of how people felt about Jovita, her legacy, and her overall impact.”
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