The city of Greensboro is celebrating a new addition to its downtown public art scene. The completion of two large-scale murals will take place Thursday.
The Bellemeade Parking Deck murals were made possible by participatory budgeting. It's an inclusive model where city council allocates money to districts and residents then decide how those dollars should be spent. This is the second year the city has used the program.
Around $30,000 was earmarked for the project.
The two vertical murals stand 80 feet tall. They were created by DAAS, an American contemporary artist based in Japan and the United States. This design includes lots of vibrant colors, geometric shapes and faces.
“We wanted something that ties in with the community,” says Josh Sherrick, the arts and events superintendent for the City of Greensboro. ”With this face that generates the thought and then the thought forms being represented in the geometric shapes and the colorful shapes, it definitely represents our cultural community that we have here.”
Sherrick says more than 560 cans of spray paint were used to create the murals.
The city of Greensboro is hosting a community block party to showcase the project.
“During the block party we will have live artists on site that will be doing their own art,” says Sherrick. “But one really neat element that we are doing is with all of the recycled spray cans that were used to produce the murals, that kids and family members will be able to actually take one of those cans, put a little bit of art on it themselves and take it home with them. Hopefully, this will be a reminder of this event for decades to come.”
The block party will run from 6 - 10 p.m. on Thursday, August 17 on Bellemeade Street between Elm and Greene streets.
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Photo: www.aerialaccess.org