Assisted by Rhodes students and CODA staff, Zimmermann painted an original, five-story high mural on the east side of the vacant building located at 195 Madison Avenue. The building is owned by Rhodes trustee Wilton “Chick” Hill, and the mural will be visible from the stands of the Memphis Redbirds stadium. Since November 2007, the project has been in development with Hill working with Rhodes students on project management. The UrbanArt Commission provided advisory and logistical support in addition to coordinating the students' apprenticeship in public art planning methods. In essence, this project is the result of an extended class project.

In the summer of 2008, CODA students conducted a national search to commission an artist to depict a theme relevant to Memphis’ history and culture. In addition, a meeting was held between Rhodes′ students and a community panel to discuss what themes they felt should be represented and what conversations they felt should be sparked from the mural. After Zimmermann’s selection, these ideas were sent to him, not as guidelines, but as a starting point.

In a letter to the city of Memphis about the project, Rhodes College's Center for Outreach in the Development of the Arts said the mural is not intended to be about the city's past, "but to begin a conversation about moving Memphis forward."

"The design of the mural does not offer easy answers. The meanings aren't clear, and everyone will have different interpretations. ... So as the mural progresses and once it is complete we are asking that you go down and look at it for a long time. Sit out there and eat a sandwich. Take it all in and think about Memphis -- all the good and bad and hopes and dreams you have for this great city. Maybe things in the mural will speak to you, maybe you'll disagree with everything you see. But did it move you more than the blank wall that was there before?"