CHARLESTON STRONG: Community Hope and Healing Through a Collaborative Mural Project

On June 17th, 2015 a horrific shooting at the iconic Emanuel Church in Charleston, SC shook our community, state, and nation. In the aftermath of the shooting issues of race relations, historic divides, anger, and healing permeated conversations at every level. Against this backdrop our college, already deeply immersed in service learning and community engagement, considered ways to be part of the healing, reflection, and positive action to grow out of this tragedy. A collaboration among the college’s Fine Arts Department and Service Leaning and Civic Engagement program culminated in the interactive community of painting of a block-long mural the week of our annual campus-wide experiential learning event, Leadership Day. In the summer of 2015 Artist Gil Shuler created an inspirational palmetto tree and dove “CHARLESTON STRONG” artwork which he freely shared. For our Charleston Strong Mural project he consented to a large rendering of this art as a centerpiece of a block-long mural which community members augmented by adding their own dove to the Shuler’s nine doves signifying the Emanuel Nine. For the preparation for the event, multiple approvals and funding sources had to be secured. The college paid to professionally repair and prep the wall with two coats of paint. Businesses and local artists generously contributed supplies, expertise, and person power to assist community members in adding colorful stenciled doves. College students from three fine arts classes (as well as “at large” student, VISTA, and staff volunteers) served across three open community “PaintStrong” full-day and half-day events. Throughout these events, students and faculty helped set up supplies for visitors that would help come paint on the wall. Each person who came was invited to sign in to a guest book and to paint their own dove. Several school children had the opportunity to come and paint doves along with their families. The participating community members were diverse in every way – age, race, culture, neighborhood, occupation, religious and political affiliations, and connection to the Emanuel Nine. At the end of the project, a total of 1,678 doves were painted on the mural. The mural project’s purpose was to honor those who have lost their lives by bringing the community together. In the guestbook everyone was asked what they personally could do to make Charleston Strong. This poster will include a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the ideas generated by the diverse citizen population who came to share in the project as well as photos that capture both the process and final product