Painting the Town!
Selected local artists and artist teams will be busy Saturday, Sept. 17, painting the town for the city's first Dumpster Art public art project. This project, which is a collaboration between the City of Valdosta, Valdosta Main Street and the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, will transform the otherwise unsightly downtown dumpsters into public pieces of art, beginning at 8 a.m., in four different downtown locations.
The public is invited to watch the dumpster transformation at the following sites:
Site 1: Dumpster/Compactor McKey Street Parking Lot.
About the Artist: Taylor Brooks, a communications major at Georgia Military College, watched a YouTube video on spray paint art in November 2015 and decided to try it for himself. A fun activity turned into a new passion, and he now creates and sells all types of spray paint art (view his work at www.brookssprayart.com). His dumpster design will bring to life a beautiful space-scape of the earth, moon and stars that hangs above Valdosta.
Site 2: Valdosta City Hall Parking Lot.
About the Artist: Sarah Lowe, who works in the Neighborhood Development Division at the City of Valdosta, has been an artist as far back as she can remember. Since moving to Valdosta from Thomasville last year, she has taken steps to get involved with the city's art culture. Sarah plans to paint a light, fresh floral piece on her dumpster using Azaleas—a flower which Valdosta is known for—as inspiration.
Site 3: Valdosta City Hall Annex Parking Lot.
About the Artist: Lanell Shen is a transplant from Jacksonville, Florida, who moved with her family to Valdosta in June 2016. She said she quickly fell in love with Valdosta and plans to paint a wide-ranging landscape that showcases the unique features of the city—from football to farmers markets, country clubs to churches, the hospital and university to the military community.
Site 4: Turner Center for the Arts Parking Lot.
About the Artists: The Arts Guild of Valdosta State University is a student-funded organization that promotes collaboration and networking through art forms. Its Dumpster Art piece will personify the trees, fruits, and flowers that are iconic to Valdosta and its 30-year tradition as Tree City USA. Several members of The Arts Guild will participate in the project, led by President Lamar Benefield, Vice President Jenu Thomas-Richardson, and Secretary/Treasurer Hunter Pope.
A fifth dumpster will be painted during the week of Sept. 19-23 by Dewar Elementary School's Art Exploration program. The youth's version of Van Gogh's Starry Night with a Valdosta twist will be placed in the downtown area for all to enjoy by the end of September.
Artistic work will be accomplished onsite Saturday, Sept. 17, through 5 p.m. The public is invited to view the art being created, interact with the artists and enjoy the event in beautiful downtown. The Dumpster Art will be displayed for a full year, providing beautiful visuals for downtown visitors and significant exposure for the artists.
Paints and supplies were generously provided by Whitehead Industrial Company, also located in downtown Valdosta. Dumpsters were steam cleaned by the Valdosta Public Works Department and will receive a coat of primer and base paint by the Valdosta Youth Council members prior to the start of artists' work.
Interested individuals are encouraged to attend the event, or contact Valdosta Main Street at 229-259-3577 or the Turner Center for the Arts at 229-247-2787 for more details.