Sometimes I find myself, a little sheepishly, finally putting a piece of art on the blog that everyone knows about, everyone has seen, thousands and thousands of people have photographed, and which went up years ago. Here’s a little secret – the original I Believe in Nashville mural, the one in 12 South, is not yet on the blog. Maybe I’ll rectify that for the blog’s 5th-year anniversary, which is coming up in June.

This of course is the I Believe in Nashville mural at Marathon Village. The I Believe series was created by Adrien Saporiti, and has become a cultural phenomenon and spawned imitators, some of which are in fact on the blog. This is the second of the originals that he has done that I have written about, the other one being the one on Basement East.

The Marathon mural has a small plaque next to it crediting the work to “Adrien Saporiti of DCXV Industries.” Saporiti stopped using the DCXV name some time ago (DCXV is “615” in Roman numerals, Nashville’s area code). He was for a time signing his murals with a hashtag that led to an Instagram page for “Juvenile Success,” but that has also gone by the wayside.

When I say there is an “I Believe in Nashville” industry, there most certainly is. It’s become part of local lore and local identity, and there are certainly many ways you can experience the whole phenomenon. Just check out IBelieveInNasvhille.com, the I Believe in Nashville Facebook page, and the I Believe in Nashville Instagram page. If you want your own version of the mural, you can find shirts, mugs, posters and more at the NashvilleTN Store, which supports several local non-profits.

Located at 1402 Clinton Street. That’s the address of Marathon Music Works, whose employee entranceway, prominently labeled “1402,” is right next to the mural. There is plenty of parking all around Marathon Village.