by Natalie Bradley, Flint Energies Community Connections Specialist
The power of public art and beauty is amazing to me. While I’ve always appreciated beautiful murals and artwork, I never realized how powerful it can truly be until I moved back to my hometown.
A few years ago, I was attending the Georgia Academy for Economic Development lead by Jenny Robbins of Georgia EMC. She asked the class, “How do you know when a downtown is healthy or unhealthy when you’re driving through it?” People said that healthy downtowns were filled with activity, shoppers, businesses, murals, parks, public art, beautiful landscaping, they were clean and attractive. The class also agreed that unhealthy downtowns had vacant, blighted buildings, trash everywhere, tired-looking paint and signs, poor or no landscaping, and lack of activity.
We knew that downtown Oglethorpe was “sick” and needed help, but hearing people talk about unhealthy downtowns and how that perfectly described mine was heartbreaking. Our Downtown Development Authority board started paying attention to what made other downtowns feel vibrant, happy, and appealing to us. The first thing that we noticed about every downtown we loved was public art. It made the area feel alive, exciting, sometimes funky, and really made you “see” the people and the community behind the town, and we loved that!
About that time was also when Flint Energies announced their new Rural Murals grant program, and I knew that this was the key. At the time, I was Oglethorpe’s Downtown Development Authority Director, so I applied for the grant, and we were awarded the first one. It changed everything for downtown Oglethorpe.
The town rallied behind the mural, people stopped to watch, ask questions, and document the process as artist, Jackie Fontenot, painted the building for weeks. When the mural was finished, there were a lot of smiles, joyful tears and hope shared collectively in the community. It created the community pride and atmosphere our town was lacking. From there, we immediately installed another public art project featuring artists throughout the community on the new lamp posts downtown and put giant rural photography by Lauren Turner in empty building windows to bring them more life and beauty. This was another huge hit with the residents and visitors in the area, and people started walking the streets, photographing the art, and enjoying it with family and friends.
At the same time, we hosted various downtown events, retraining our people to go downtown to shop and do business, and the excitement became contagious! Investors started buying blighted, vacant buildings, renovations began, and new businesses started moving into the spaces downtown.
Now, just three-and one-half years later, there are ten buildings that are now inhabited with thriving businesses thanks to the public art that started it all. There is a downtown produce market, vintage and antique shops, salons and barbers, events happening throughout the year, lots of activity downtown, and we even have an art gallery!
I will never look at a mural or public art installation the same again.
Follow @DowntownOglethorpe, GA on Facebook to see events and activities, and make sure to stop in person, sit a spell and enjoy the beautiful art and activity downtown!
