Abeille Creations Founder and Over 100 Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Transform the 17th Street Bridge Into a Quarter-Mile Canvas Connecting Atlanta to the World
ATLANTA, GA — Atlanta has officially opened its runway to the world. The Trefoil Trail, a sweeping, quarter-mile public mural spanning the 17th Street Bridge near Atlantic Station, has been unveiled — and it is nothing short of a declaration. Commissioned by the City of Atlanta through its Moving Atlanta Forward initiative, the installation marks the city’s boldest public art statement ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, for which Atlanta will host eight matches, including a semifinal, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The woman behind it all? Melissa A. Mitchell, founder of the Atlanta-based design house Abeille Creations, self-taught Bahamian-American artist, TED Talk speaker, Forbes and Vogue featured visionary, and now the creator of her largest work to date. Stretching across nearly 4,000 square feet of concrete and color, the Trefoil Trail is not just a mural. It is a movement.
A City Stepping Onto the Global Stage
From above, the 17th Street Bridge corridor comes alive in a riot of color and intention. Over 100 soccer balls are painted into the mural’s design, each one representing the global energy descending on Atlanta this summer. The flags of all 48 nations competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup are woven throughout, making the bridge a living mosaic of the world’s cultures, united on Atlanta’s pavement.
Mitchell, who has called Atlanta home for nearly 20 years, described the scope of this commission as a test of pure faith. “I did this on faith,” she told CBS News Atlanta. “Just trust in God. I just want people to be hopeful. This just reminds me that when you’re dreaming, you’re just not dreaming big enough.”
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the completed mural took place at the 17th Street Bridge on Saturday, hosted by the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta — and that partnership is the heartbeat of the entire project.
Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta: Weaving the World Together
Here is where the story deepens. Mitchell, herself a former Girl Scout, brought the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta directly into the creative process, recruiting more than 100 Girl Scouts to pick up brushes and help bring the Trefoil Trail to life. Their participation was not ceremonial. These young women painted.
And Mitchell made sure their legacy was literally embedded in the design. The white lines running across the bridge contain a small green stripe threaded between them, a direct tribute to the Girl Scouts. “These white lines are actually going to have a small green line in between them, and it’s going to be representative of the Girl Scouts, literally weaving the world together,” Mitchell explained. Look closely at the aerial view, and the trefoil, the iconic three-leaf clover symbol of Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, is embedded directly into the design of the bridge itself.
It is a masterclass in how public art can honor the community. Mitchell did not bring the Girl Scouts in as spectators. She invited them in as collaborators, co-creators, and co-owners of a moment that will be witnessed by the world.
Atlanta’s Mayor and the Moving Atlanta Forward Vision
The Trefoil Trail was commissioned by the City of Atlanta through its Moving Atlanta Forward initiative, with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens championing the project from the beginning. Mitchell noted that the Mayor has been passionate about ensuring the city shows up beautifully for this global moment. “This is a passion of his to make sure that we are beautifully prepared,” she said.
The opening ceremony brought together Dickens, Melissa A. Mitchell, city official Jai Ferrell, the Majestic Marching Cardinals of Jonesboro High School, the Majestic Dancing Dolls, and the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, who stood at the center of Atlanta’s official runway opening to the world.
The Artist: Melissa A. Mitchell and the Legacy of Abeille Creations
For those who have followed Melissa A. Mitchell, this moment is the latest in a career defined by breaking ceilings. Through Abeille Creations, she has produced more than 500 original art pieces and over 40 large-scale murals, including the largest mural in MARTA history by a Black woman. She has partnered with Foot Locker, SPANX, Hennessey, Ford, and Microsoft, and has been featured in Forbes and Vogue, where Lupita Nyong’o was photographed in her designs.
A two-time Florida A&M University graduate, member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and author of multiple published works, Mitchell approaches every canvas as an act of healing. The Trefoil Trail is no different. “From this aerial view, it all connects,” reads her caption from above the bridge. “The people, the purpose, the moment.”
The numbers tell their own story: over 100 soccer balls painted. 48 nations represented. Nearly 4,000 square feet of color and intention. One city stepping onto the global stage.
Atlanta is expected to welcome approximately 300,000 visitors during the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer, one of the largest tourism surges since the city hosted the 1996 Olympics. The first thing many of those visitors will see as they move between Midtown and Atlantic Station is the Trefoil Trail.
They will see Atlanta’s answer to the world. Bold. Loud. Colorful. Communal. And created by a Black woman who built her empire from a paintbrush and a dream.
Follow Melissa A. Mitchell at @abeillecreations on Instagram and visit Abeille Creations to explore her full body of work.
