It's happening!

After some considerable delay due to, among other things, negotiating with Alan Scheinman, the mural is finally coming into fruition! Last Tuesday Brian and Mike, who work for the neighboring parking garage, power washed the wall to prep it for paint. It was a magical sight early in the morning, watching these two guys wash the wall. They worked as a team inside the power washer's mist, washing and scrubbing to the tune of the humming machine, with the early morning light touching down on Kirkland Ave. It was satisfying washing the layers of dust, dirt, and decay dribble off the walls, uncovering the bright red bricks.

Yesterday we made our first mural marks on the walls with primer. This too felt like a great moment, as the mural has essentially been in the making since January. Priming went pretty quickly since we had some friends to stop by lend a hand. People walking by naturally noticed the shift from dingy red walls to bright white ones, and were curious what we were doing. Many people expressed their excitement over seeing a new mural being made, and we even recruited some volunteer painters to help us.

Obviously, the more people we can get to help us paint, the faster it will get done. Since it is already halfway through September, the days are getting shorter, the weather is getting cooler, and it is important we get the mural done in a timely fashion. Please lend us a hand! We will be working in the alley this Tuesday, Sept 22nd late afternoon-evening, next Saturday, Sept 26th in the afternoon, and every Saturday after that until it's finished. We are also planning on painting during the week whenever people are around to help, so if you'd like to be on the Volunteer Mural Painter e-mail list, let me know and I'll sign you up! haley@commonweathcenter.org. Again, no experience is necessary, we are basically doing the mural in a paint-by-numbers fashion.

Another quick reminder, Golden Bricks are available for purchase for $10 a pop. Money raised will go towards the project, and you'll get your name or words of your choosing painted on a golden brick in the mural. To donate, email me, stop by the alley, or stop by the breezeway behind the Guild to pick up a donation slip. Every little bit helps! Give in the name of art, community, a friend, child, parent, or a dream!