Community Inspired Mural

by Mark Kelly

SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. – Be a part of the Art! As part of its June 26, 2021 launch party, Arts in the Burg will unveil its first outdoor mural designed with input from the community. The unveiling of the 23 x 98 ft. work will take place in the alley behind the historic Princess Theatre.

Here’s one way for you to participate.

Our community focus group for the first major mural is open to stakeholders and citizens of South Pittsburg and will be held via Zoom on 3/22/21 at 6 pm CST

We are also working on synced live stream options for Facebook and post meeting Youtube. During the meeting, we will discuss the mural project with our muralist, Ivan Roque. The goal is to encourage your comments to influence the creative process for the mural. Arts in the Burg organizers will ask questions about your experiences in South Pittsburg, and you will have the opportunity to respond to our moderator in chats or comments. After the meeting, we will quantify the responses by word clouding. Our artist will then create two rough sketches, and you will have an opportunity to vote on the final design choice from 4/11/21 to 4/24/21. Just that quickly, you’ve become a part of the art!

You can see the full schedule and zoom link at https://artsintheburg.com/community-art

The artist selected for the project is Miami’s Ivan Roque. He was selected based on his experience, the quality of his work, and an understanding of art’s importance in communities.

Roque is a visual artist/street artist from Miami’s Carol City community. His work displays a passion for the concepts of birth, death, renewal, and social struggles. Roque’s influences range from the old masters like Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio to 20^th Century artist Marc Rothko, contemporary urban artist  Typoe and clothing designer Gianni Versace.

He has traveled extensively for various exhibitions and murals, including shows in New York City, Dubai, Seoul, and mural festivals such as the Bushwick Collective (Brooklyn, NY) Block Party and Pow Wow Worcester (Massachusetts).  Roque also has had three gallery solo shows and one museum solo show at the Coral Springs Museum of Art in Coral Springs, Florida. He has a Bachelor of Art in Visual Arts from the Florida International University.

Arts in the Burg director Dale Woodfin explained that the event features a unique aspect to include the art enthusiast and the community of South Pittsburg in creative placemaking. “One of the primary principles of our organization is to help people realize that they have untapped artistic talent. With just a little encouragement, everyone can express their emotions and ideas visually through public art. In a more hands-on application, our community will have the opportunity to participate in our first community mural during the Zoom meeting scheduled for March 22^nd and the voting process to follow. Our community and attendees of our upcoming festival-style launch party will also have an opportunity to participate in the ever-changing chalk mural and a paint-by-numbers mural on June 26th. We encourage everyone to forget their hesitancy to express their inner artist and join in the creative process to create our first community mural.”

This mural is made possible thanks to a creative placemaking grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. This grant was awarded to SPARQ for Arts in the Burg as result of South Pittsburg’s participation in the Thriving Communities program and the Tennessee Placemaking Partnership.

The Tennessee Placemaking Project is a collaborative pilot project by Thrive Regional Partnership, Tennessee Arts Commission, Southeast Tennessee Development, and the Lyndhurst Foundation. The project is designed to support local communities as they scale up strategies that leverage local arts and cultural assets for economic vibrancy and growth throughout the greater Chattanooga region. To learn more, visit www.thriveregionalpartnership.org/projects/tn-placemaking-partnership

The Tennessee Arts Commission is supported in large part by the state’s Specialty License Plate program. You can support the Arts by purchasing a specialty tag: https://tnspecialtyplates.org/

Arts in the Burg is a program of South Pittsburg Area Revitalization Quest (SPARQ).

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Arts in the Burg is a program of SPARQ

Tennessee Placemaking Partnership

The Tennessee Placemaking Project is a collaborative pilot project between Thrive Regional Partnership, Tennessee Arts Commission, Southeast Tennessee Development, and the Lyndhurst Foundation. The project is designed to support local communities as they scale up strategies that leverage local arts and cultural assets for economic vibrancy and growth throughout the greater Chattanooga region. To learn more, visit www.thriveregionalpartnership.org/projects/tn-placemaking-partnership. 

Thriving Communities

Thriving Communities is a creative placemaking program of Thrive Regional Partnership designed to leverage local arts and culture assets for economic vibrancy and growth throughout the greater Chattanooga region. To learn more, visit www.ThriveRegionalPartnership.org/Thriving-Communities.

Thrive Regional Partnership

Thrive Regional Partnership inspires responsible growth through conversation, connection, and collaboration across the tri-state greater Chattanooga region. To learn more visit www.thriveregionalpartnership.org.