Artists brighten up neighborhood through colorful mural, with kids’ help
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- Local artists, in tandem with community children, completed this mural at The Boulders apartment complex.
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- Volunteers help paint a mural outside The Boulders apartment complex in Provo.
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- Artists and friends help paint a South Franklin Neighborhood mural.
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- A new mural surrounds a wall at The Boulders apartment complex in Provo.
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- Artist Kaitlyn Garcia helped with a community mural project in Provo.
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- Artist Kindia du Plessis helped with a community mural project in Provo.
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- Salt Lake City artist Andrew Alba, pictured with his daughter, helped create a community mural in Provo.
Courtesy United Way
Local artists, in tandem with community children, completed this mural at The Boulders apartment complex.
Building up and brightening up city neighborhoods has three area artists fulfilling community art projects and bringing children and families together to help spruce up their local neighborhood.
Kindia du Plessis, Kaitlyn Garcia and Andrew Alba saw an opportunity in the South Franklin Neighborhood and an empty wall and went to work planning and designing a mural.
Du Plessis has been teaching art at the Franklin Community Center for the past five years. “You develop long-term relationships with people,” she said of her teaching.
Relationships are important in building the community and du Plessis and Garcia said it was a simple two-line message that made doing a mural so important.
The message, inspired by a Chicago artist and painted on the mural in both English and Spanish, says, “When we make the time to know our neighbors, beautiful things can happen.”
Courtesy United Way
Volunteers help paint a mural outside The Boulders apartment complex in Provo.
“I’m passionate about community work,” Garcia said. “We knew we wanted to do a large cooperative project and collaborate with another artist.”
That person was Alba, a professional artist living in Salt Lake City.
Garcia said they wanted the mural somewhere kids would actually see it.
“I first thought, ‘I don’t have time,'” Alba said, but then “I had a few ideas.”
Alba said after he committed to the project, he took it to the children of the neighborhood and talked to them about taking ownership of their painting.
Courtesy United Way
Artists and friends help paint a South Franklin Neighborhood mural.
“We had the kids do drawings of what they wanted,” Alba said. “I compiled their art.”
Alba said he took what the kids drew and crunched it and then drew an outline of it on the wall. The kids were invited to come and help paint.
“People would walk by the mural and want to get involved,” du Plessis said. “The wall is in plain view. It’s a perfect place for the mural.”
The mural is located close to the basketball court and playground at The Boulders apartment complex in the South Franklin Neighborhood, where most of the children who participated in the painting live.
Thinking about just how much this mural has brought this neighborhood together, du Plessis said she hopes its not the only one.
Courtesy United Way
A new mural surrounds a wall at The Boulders apartment complex in Provo.
“We would love to do more,” du Plessis said. “There are a couple of other spots we know of.”
The art team received a $500 art grant from the Brigham Young University Art Department where du Plessis and Garcia attend school. Most of the money went for supplies and a small token was given to Alba.
“I feel strongly about the fact that we need to connect with community,” du Plessis said. “Art is powerful and is a reharmonizing thing in the world.”
Bill Hulterstrom, president and CEO of United Way of Utah County from which the project got its big push, agreed with du Plessis.
“You can never underestimate the power of good neighbors,” Hulterstrom said. “Having the children in the South Franklin Neighborhood discover this will create a lasting legacy not only in the lives of the children, but in the entire neighborhood.”
Courtesy United Way
Artist Kaitlyn Garcia helped with a community mural project in Provo.
The mural, which was designed and painted in November, has received a great deal of attention and has become a source of pride for those families.
Don’t be surprised if you see du Plessis, Garcia and Alba in the future adding more light and brightness to Provo.
Artist Kindia du Plessis helped with a community mural project in Provo.
Salt Lake City artist Andrew Alba, pictured with his daughter, helped create a community mural in Provo.
