Florida State University's Department of Art Education coordinated a community mural painting on Gaines St. that started on Feb. 7, and will end Feb. 28.
This open event welcomes the Tallahassee community and encourages residents to help make a long-lasting impact on the locality.
The “I AM Gaines Street” mural is 12 inches wide and 75 inches tall. It was coordinated by David Gussak, the chairman of the FSU Department of Art Education. Sia Ngauja, Sharla Dyess and Evie Hempler, all art therapy graduate students, also designed and contributed to the mural in coordination with Gussak.
Kevin Mahoney, a fine arts major at Flagler College from Jacksonville, was excited about the collaboration.
“It's a really fun project and a great way to promote expression within the community,” Mahoney said.
To many Tallahassee locals, the transformation and renovation of Gaines St. has taken a more industrial turn, but it is still thriving with rich culture and artistic integrity.
This past December, the city unveiled a 40-foot-glass-metal-and-light sculpture in the middle of the Gaines St. roundabout.
“Public art and related events are integral to Tallahassee's identity on so many levels. Art keeps its DIY sensibilities alive. It has long been a core part of its identity and an expression of its inhabitants,” Addison Kane, an FSU english major from Jacksonville, said.
The mural is located at 651 West Gaines St. and the time schedules can be found on their Facebook page, Community Mural for Opening Nights.
“This week is the last week of painting and we are aiming to be done by Friday. We have all the supplies. You just need to bring yourself,” Grace Chartier, a graduate student in the FSU art therapy program from Pensacola, said.
You can also follow the hashtag #FSUpaintTally to find updates on the murals' progress on Facebook and Twitter.