HOPE BLOOMS

Hope Blooms mural slated for Whitehall

A new 100-foot mural will begin taking shape this week on the east-facing wall of the newly renovated Victory Ministries Center of Hope at 3964 E. Main Street, Whitehall, OH  43213. It is the first large-sized, public mural to be created in Whitehall and will further enhance the streetscape of the city’s busiest corridor. Titled Hope Blooms, the mural depicts a lush scenery of green beans, eggplants, tomatoes, and their flowers blooming and pollinating. It is an unmistakable metaphor of the central mission of the Center of Hope: to help our neighbors in need by providing critical emergency services and nourishing the growth of individuals and families in a variety of ways.  The design of the mural grew out of input from Whitehall residents.  People living in the neighborhood, and the greater Central Ohio community, are invited to participate in painting the mural, which uses a color by number method.

The mural project is spearheaded by ALTernative, a community arts organization that has completed eight community murals in central Ohio.  ALTernative Director and lead artist Eliza Ho says the mural “aspires to spread seeds of hope, not only through its imagery, but also the creative process.”

Using a projector, professional artists JT Thompson and Maureen Clark will trace the outline of the mural on the blank white wall over the course of five nights, from 9:00 p.m. – Midnight, starting tonight, Monday, July 25^th. 

There are two community painting days: Saturday, July 30^th and Saturday, August 6^th from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Volunteers can wield a brush the entire day or sign up for a shift:

• 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
• 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Volunteers can sign up at: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c084fa4af2fa0fc1-volunteer Funding from the ADAMH Board’s Community Mini-grant Program and the Puffin Foundation West will be used to purchase 50 gallons of exterior, latex paint, painting supplies for volunteers, and stipends for professional mural artists.  Victory Ministries is a multifaceted family assistance center providing critical, emergency services to low-income families in central Ohio since 1983. The Center of Hope provides individuals and families with: 3-days of food at its Choice Food Pantry; gently used clothing in the Free Clothing Area; pastoral and clinical counseling through Hope Counseling; basic medical care at the Free Medical Clinic; and educational support to children through the Literacy NOW tutoring program.”