ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — After 10 days of painting, artist Christopher Johnson unveiled his completed “Good Life City” mural Wednesday, Oct. 21 in downtown Albany.

The artwork was funded by The Bread House and is located next to the business on N Jefferson Street. It features Ray Charles, historic downtown buildings, the Flint River bridge, peanuts, pecans, and other local landmarks.

Johnson, an Albany native, wanted to celebrate the city’s history and culture by painting things central to the city’s identity. The concept for the mural was driven by the owners of The Bread House, who want to help with efforts to revitalize historic buildings in downtown Albany.

“I’ve driven down this road practically my whole life and am really proud of how it’s helped shaped this part of the community,” Johnson said.

For residents, the mural offers a different story — one of community pride, hope, and unity — amid seeing heartbreaking headlines of what’s happening in the city.

“I love the magnolias and the pecans because Albany is known for that. And of course the peanuts for the farmers because they do an excellent job every year,” Mary Davis, who lives in Albany, said. “I’ve seen Albany in its good times and I see some of the bad now. I want to see it grow and to be better.”

The muralist described watching the community connect with the work in real time.

“This place has got a lot of foot traffic that comes through here.” Johnson said. “People are getting closer, standing at the end of the street. But by the end of the week, they’re practically on the lift with me painting.”

One Atlanta photographer visited Albany for the first time Thursday to admire the piece up close. He said he saw it shared on social media and decided to make the drive down.

“I was on Facebook and I found this beautiful mural of Albany, Georgia,” Stephen Salmon said. “Ray Charles is very famous, and it went perfect with the project I’m working on. I said, ‘Let me come down here and check it out.’”

Johnson said being a part of downtown revitalization and beautification efforts is most meaningful. He said to “keep a look out” for more public art projects in the future.

“I’ve seen it on the upswing. It’s cool to see people take old buildings and revitalize and repurpose places,” he added.

“We knew Chris would be a wonderful fit for the project because of the passion and appreciation for history and community that he demonstrates through his work. He has received the Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities for his efforts to help revitalize communities through large-scale public art, and we are incredibly excited to see his interpretation of Albany come to life,” said a representative of The Bread House.

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