Under the guidance of North Augusta artist Adeana Berry, local participants of all ages and skill levels worked together to paint 49 individual square tiles that will form a seven foot tall, seven foot wide mural installation to be displayed at the North Augusta Arts and Heritage Center.
This community art piece was just one activity tied to the annual South Carolina Arts and Humanities Festival, which North Augusta was selected to host this year.
Creating the mural
Each guest at the mural event was given a tile to paint coordinating with a design pre-made by Berry, an abstract depiction of a sunset over a river made with geometric shapes.
Berry said that the individual tiles will be pieced together on a wooden frame at a later date post-festival. As of Saturday, Sept. 14, there are no plans in place to officially unveil the completed mural.
This event, which was free and open to the public, provided an opportunity for community members to come together and contribute to a collaborative art project.
According to Barry, the murals installation on a wooden frame will allow the tiles to be removed and replaced for later projects, and she suggested that more murals might be created in this way in the future.
Adeana Berry on communal creativity
““I think it’s important to encourage people to be creative…for them to just express themselves without the pressure of trying to make something perfect,” said Berry. “I had a lot of memories as a kid doing different crafts and things throughout North Augusta…it’s kind of like a full circle moment for me to be able to give that back.”
Berry attended the Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta where she studied graphic design. Berry continued living in Atlanta for over a decade but recently moved back home. She creates colorful portraits and paints murals.
More about the festival
The 2024 SC Arts and Humanities Festival is an annual celebration of the arts featuring a wide range of events and activities. More festival events on Saturday included an informational talk by the South Carolina Bluebird Society, guided historic tours, and an abstract art workshop hosted at Hickman Hall in Graniteville.
