Covington bicentennial celebration continues with #COV200Selfie

As part of Covington’s bicentennial celebration, BLDG is installing selfie murals throughout the city. There are currently three murals, with others in the works that will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
 
“The murals are a way to engage people on social media, and let them know about the cool activities going on in Covington,” says Kate Esarey, project coordinator for COV200, which is in charge of Covington’s bicentennial. “We want to send people to places in Covington they haven’t been—it’s like a mural scavenger hunt.”
 
So far, murals are located at 3938 Decoursey Ave. in Latonia, 424 W. Sixth St. in Mainstrasse, and at the corner of Orchard and Jackson streets. The murals incorporate aspects of the neighborhood they’re located in, and include directions for participating in #COV200Selfie.
 
The newest mural, which is in Latonia, depicts the area’s horse racing history with the image of Leonatus, the first winner of the Latonia Derby, and the winner of the Kentucky Derby the same year. The Mainstrasse mural focuses on the district as an entertainment area and features beer mugs, and the West Side mural is shaped like a hen and encourages photographers to “Love the Cov.”
 
A fourth mural is planned for South Covington, and will encourage photographers to take selfies with their dogs, as the neighborhood boasts the only dog park in Kenton County.
 
Covingten, an anonymous group that provides mini-grants for projects in Covington, provided funding for #COV200Selfie.
 
“The murals are creating a sense of community pride,” Esarey says. “It’s also a way to share the interactive art scene with the neighborhood.”
 
In order to participate in the project, take a selfie in front of one of the murals, and share it on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using #COV200Selfie. The COV200 website populates the selfies as soon as they’re tagged on social media. COV200 will then pick 15-20 selfies and repaste them onto windows of vacant buildings to activate dead space.