THOMASVILLE- Thomasville Center for the Arts unveiled its first community-driven public art installation, known as the Patchwork Project on Thursday afternoon in Paradise Park.
The brainchild of Community Arts Director Brittany Shiver, the project features the work of nearly 200 individuals from the surrounding area, including tourists visiting from London, international college students, young children, teens, and older adults.
Shiver’s goal was to make art accessible to the everyday individual.
“The concept is for the everyday person to get involved in art,” she said. “You don’t have to have ever picked up a paintbrush, marker, or pencil; it’s just all about getting engaged in art and feeling involved in the community.”
Shiver wanted those who took part in the Patchwork Project to understand that they could create something beautiful too, that would be on display for years to come.
With the success of the community-driven public art installation, Shiver said it has launched an initiative to continue every year with a new community-geared project.
“These squares (canvases) were given to folks around town from January until May,” she explained. “We went to Jerger, the Jack Hadley Black History Museum, downtown and got people to paint a square.”
Kids as young as 1 year old painted squares to be featured publicly, while an 87-year-old woman took part as the oldest painter to be involved.
“We wanted it to feature all types of people,” Shiver said. “That’s the beautiful part of a community-led art project and something we want to see more of in Thomasville.”
The Patchwork Project will be hung in Paradise Park for two weeks before finding a permanent home in Downtown Thomasville on Broad Street. However, the exact location Shiver said remains a surprise. She did promise the location would allow patrons to sit and view the artwork and enjoy it throughout the day.
“The cool part about it is you will be able to sit down and have an identity in something others are enjoying,” she reminded.
Shiver encouraged those who were unable to paint a square or envisioned something different for next year’s community project to contact her, so she can begin planning the next initiative, which will begin in January.