Art project seeks to reduce negativity one board at a time
April 9, 2012
Wofford students help recruit participants for 21 Artists ON Residence project in Northside community
SPARTANBURG, SC – April 9, 2012 – They’re looking to reduce negativity, and bring color, creativity and positivity to the Northside community in downtown Spartanburg, one plywood board at a time.
The 21 Artists ON Residence committee – consisting of four Wofford College students; community leader Wanda Cheeks; Lisa Gosnell, community services specialist with the City of Spartanburg; and Curt McPhail, program officer with the Mary Black Foundation – hopes to “help stabilize and revitalize” the Northside area “to promote and influence an encouraging environment,” the group’s mission statement says. “Our efforts will reduce crime, create a healthier, safer place to live, and encourage community engagement and pride in the Northside.”
The group is recruiting artists of all kinds and levels of experiences from Wofford, the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), residents of the Northside community and residents of the entire Spartanburg community. The plan is to have the artists assemble from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, to paint plywood boards that cover the windows and doors of abandoned houses with images of “what positivity” looks like to the artists.
Anyone interested in participating may contact Ellen Smith, a Wofford student who is a member of the committee, at [email protected] or McPhail at 864-680-9454.
Lunch and art supplies will be provided free to the artists.
The group is encouraging the artists to be creative and open in their designs, but they are asking that colorful, warm, bright colors be used, along with positive images of people, nature and objects.
About Wofford College
Wofford College, established in 1854, is an independent liberal arts college of 1,550 students in Spartanburg, S.C. Wofford ranks 2nd nationally in the percentage of undergraduates receiving credit for study abroad. Home to one of the nation’s 280 Phi Beta Kappa chapters, Wofford’s historic 175-acre campus is recognized as a national arboretum. Wofford is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
