Art ignites change. That mantra centers the Murals Art Philadelphia, the nation’s largest public art program. Audrey Davenport, CEO of Soque Street, LLC [Creative Community Development], lives by these words as well, which is why she is passionate about bringing murals to Cornelia, Georgia.
Artists collaborate with the community
Thursday, February 8, will be a compilation of her efforts and the efforts of many in Cornelia to fulfill the City of Cornelia Loves Tim Loves Tink Mural project. It almost came to a halt when Norfolk Southern denied the murals to be painted on the underpass where the words ‘Tim Loves Tink’ were painted decades ago.
Davenport and the City of Cornelia pushed forward along with businesses that are willing to help make the mural display on a wall in the city. The BIG reveal as to where the mural will be placed is to be announced at the Cornelia City Commission meeting on Tuesday, February 6, starting at 6 p.m.
On Thursday, David McShane of Murals Art Philadelphia will be in Cornelia for an event-filled day. He brings his 30 years as a mural artist to Cornelia for a free all-day event, “Getting to the Heart of Murals.”
This is an idea Davenport says she conceived months ago, working closely with Cornelia City Manager Dee Anderson.
The day will be divided into three parts to inspire community input and participation in creating ideas for the mural design.
Schedule of events
8:30 – 10:00 am (Cornelia City Hall, 181 Larkin St, Cornelia): Mural Arts Breakfast Bites – an introduction to Mural Arts Philadelphia. A guide from concept to completion for municipalities and stakeholders! Learn the process for your next mural.
11:30 am – 1:30 pm (Cornelia Fire Station, 968 S Main St, Cornelia): Creative Arts Lunch Session. Connect with artists and learn from 30 years of experience creating contracts and organizing community paint days.
3:00 – 4:30 pm – (Mason Scharfenstein Museum of Art, 567 Georgia St, Demorest): A Heart for Art – A presentation of David’s personal, artistic journey as professional development – offering portfolio reviews! See what a lifetime of creating murals looks like.
It’s going to be ‘an exciting day’
David McShane has been designing and painting murals for Mural Arts Philadelphia since 1995. His objective is to help collaborate with artists and the community through murals. McShane has completed well over 200 large, outdoor, community-based murals in the Philadelphia area. It is all about sharing work knowledge for McShane with potential mural artists and communities.
Davenport talked about the love the community has for “Tim loves Tink,” which are the words written on the underpass in Cornelia. “When we first learned we couldn’t do the mural on the walls in the underpass, we decided not to change the concept, just the location.”
Many businesses have gotten behind the project to make certain it continues to move forward.
“Thursday is going to be such an exciting day,” Davenport spoke with enthusiasm about the event. “One of the pop-up activities will allow others to contribute their creative ideas to give input into what they would like to see in the space for the mural.”
The public is invited
Davenport pointed out that everybody can come to any of this. She hopes many people will want to be a part and get involved.
The artwork of many Habersham County students will be on display at the City of Cornelia Fire Department. The works of art will then be relocated to city hall to be on display throughout the duration of the mural project.
Also, stories about Tim Loves Tink, whether real or imagined, as well as stories of love authored by people who submitted through the QR Code, will be visible at the Fire Station for all to enjoy.
It is a day to learn, enjoy art, and have fun. You will not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime experience. To answer any questions you may have, call 706-894-3060, or you can email Davenport at [email protected].
