“Connecting Communities” mural series starts in Swansea

Keep the Midlands Beautiful (KMB) announced that as a part of our “#DoBeautifulThings” campaign, we have committed to installing murals in municipalities across Lexington and Richland Counties. The first mural installation in this series is a collaborative effort between KMB, the Town of Swansea, and Girls Who Paint, and is paid for using grant funds from Keep America Beautiful and PalmettoPride. Each mural will welcome visitors to the municipality, include elements of local and statewide symbols of significance, and will provide a perfect background for photos.

Keep America Beautiful’s 2000 nationwide litter study found that most litter (81%) is intentional, and that people are less likely to litter in beautiful spaces. We are therefore installing this series of murals to help beautify the 19 municipalities we serve and to instill pride in our communities in an effort to reduce litter. Sarah Lyles, Executive Director of PalmettoPride, stated, “Beautification is a tactic of litter prevention and art can change a community in a positive way.”

A community litter cleanup to celebrate the art will be held on Friday, July 25th from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. Supplies and refreshments for those who participate will be provided by Keep the Midlands Beautiful. The ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil the mural will follow immediately after the litter cleanup at 570 W. 2nd Street in Swansea at 11:30 a.m. All citizens are invited to take part in the cleanup and witness the ribbon cutting.

For more information, and to register for these events, please visit kmbsc.org or call Keep the Midlands Beautiful at (803) 733-1139.

To sponsor the cost of a mural in Lexington or Richland County, to apply for a mural in your municipality (town/city councils and administrators only) or to apply to design and paint one of our murals, please contact us at [email protected] or (803) 733-1139.

Keep the Midlands Beautiful

Keep the Midlands Beautiful, a nonprofit organization established in 1989, is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and PalmettoPride serving both Lexington and Richland counties. Our mission is to educate, inspire, and empower citizens to improve and beautify the places where they live, work, and play through litter prevention, recycling, and beautification. We manage eight litter prevention programs and three recycling programs, provide environmental education, and coordinate at least one beautification project each year. We are a small organization making a big difference in the community with the help of approximately 6,500 hardworking and dedicated volunteers each year.