Carmichaels mural aims to connect community through THRIVE project
A new mural was unveiled on Nov. 9 at a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Flenniken Public Library in Carmichaels. (Photo courtesy of Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern PA)
The mural was unveiled on Nov. 9 at a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Flenniken Public Library, where keynote speakers included PA Senator Camera Bartolotta, Greene County Commissioner Betsy McClure, Carmichaels Area School District Superintendent Fred Morecraft, Flenniken Public Library Director Nicole Mitchell and Greene County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melody Longsreth. Flenniken Library board members, members of the Carmichaels Women蘑菇视频 Civic Club, staff and board members from DVSSP and members of the community also attended. 鈥淚t was an opportunity for all of us to come together to support the efforts to increase arts and cultural expression in Carmichaels,鈥� said DVSSP director of prevention Alexandra Brooks. (Photos courtesy of Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern PA)
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A new mural at Flenniken Public Library showcases Carmichaels鈥� history, depicting the town蘑菇视频 historical landmarks.
The artistic piece was unveiled earlier this year and is the result of a survey conducted by Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern PA and the Carmichaels THRIVE project. The mural was the second of two community-building endeavors, the first a community garden on the library property.
Alexandra Brooks, director of prevention at DVSSP, knew that creating a beautiful work of art could help the Carmichaels community come together, and the survey results really pointed to that.
鈥淭he mural was the result of the focus groups we did following our annual THRIVE surveys. We measured a variety of different community factors to see what the need was in Carmichaels, and we found that the highest areas of need for improvement were economic security, housing security, and arts and cultural expression. The survey was distributed for the first time in winter of 2021 (January and February) and again in 2022. Both times, the three highest needs remained the same. The idea of a mural continued to come up by focus group participants.鈥�
The idea for the mural蘑菇视频 design, depicting notable events and landmarks in the community蘑菇视频 history, came from the residents of Carmichaels, who worked with artist Randi Stewart to create a mockup. Brooks added that Carmichaels residents are incredibly proud of the area and its rich history.
Brooks went on to talk about the need for a narrower focus when it came to the mural project. 鈥淲e chose Carmichaels because it was a community that we had received a lot of other support from. We鈥檝e offered violence prevention programs in their schools, we are regular speakers at the Carmichaels Women蘑菇视频 Civic Club, and several churches in Carmichaels make consistent donations to DVSSP.鈥�
DVSSP took about a year to gather community feedback before putting paint on the wall. Once primer hit the wall, the whole mural took about two weeks to complete. Stewart also took time to visit Carmichaels students to discuss the project and the impact art can have on a community.
鈥淭he ideas for the design also came from the residents,鈥� Brooks said. 鈥淲e held two sessions with the community so that they could provide feedback to Randi regarding the mural. In the first session, she gathered information about what the community is known for, notable events in the community, etc. After that session, Randi developed a mockup of what the mural would look like, and we held a second community session for residents to provide additional feedback.鈥�
As for why a mural, Brooks said the question was a little complicated, but overall wanted to promote a sense of togetherness.
鈥淪imply put, art is a way to bring the community together, and community connectedness is a factor that can prevent domestic violence. There are a lot of other pieces to this project outside of the mural, though,鈥� she said.
The annual surveys and focus groups help DVSSP truly understand the community蘑菇视频 needs and create plans alongside the members with buy-in built in. Other projects include art classes, establishing a resident artist at the elementary school and the community garden outside Flenniken.
鈥淭he garden has been a collaborative effort between so many people and organizations. The Carmichaels School District has had students help with garden preparation in the spring, the Carmichaels Women蘑菇视频 Civic Club collected 500 pounds of plastic grocery bags to have formed into a bench, which they donated to the garden, and a variety of community members help to maintain the garden throughout the summer. And, of course, the produce has been made available to anyone in the community.
鈥淢ost simply put, the overall goal is to increase resiliency factors in Carmichaels with a goal of preventing domestic violence. This is a rather new way of tackling the topic, and we鈥檙e learning a lot along the way.鈥�
Anyone interested in more information about THRIVE Carmichaels can visit peacefromdv.org/community for project updates.
DVSSP encourages anyone who needs help with a domestic violence situation or anyone who knows someone who needs help to call the 24-hour hotline at 800-791-4000. All calls are completely confidential, and all services are free. The organization can still provide support if a survivor cannot come to DVSSP in person. Over the phone, trained advocates can help survivors create a safety plan or provide counseling support.