A June 10 community block party will celebrate the completion of three new crosswalk murals.
Funded through one of 16 South Arts Cross-Sector Impact Grants and a private donor, the murals at the intersection of East Boundary and Telfair Street are the result of multiple talks between local artist Ray Sturkey and the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.
Sturkey, an Evans High School art and ceramics teacher, spent five months working with residents on the project, which features themes of peace, love and togetherness, according to a news release from the Greater Augusta Arts Council.
Along with residents from the nearby Magnolia Court Apartments, Sturkey will paint the mural designs into the newly striped crosswalks during the first week of June.
“Augusta Traffic Engineering put in new ADA ramps at one corner of the intersection, re-striped existing crosswalks, created a new crosswalk where there had not been one” across East Boundary as well as installed pedestrian activated crossing beacons to make drivers more aware, the news release said.
Hosted by District 1 Commissioner Jordan Johnson and organized by the arts council, Felicia Rhodes of Magnolia Court Apartments, Angela Bakos of Resourced Augusta and Cassandra Loftlin of Goodness Gracious Grocery, the block party will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will include local vendors, food trucks from K’s Wings and Maryland Fried Chicken, Kona Ice and Ice Cream, live music, dancing and a fresh fruit and veggie giveaway by Goodness Gracious Grocery.
Johnson will present the Community Champion Award to local community leaders: Wayne Lanier, Dolly Jones, Bishop Rosa Williams, the Rev. William Blount, the Rev. Johnny Hampton and the Rev. Brendolyn Jenkins Boseman.
Augusta’s Public Art Advisory Panel selected the intersection based on pedestrian safety data and an AARP study that showed the dangerous conditions for those attempting to cross from the houses on one side of the street to the businesses on the other, the release said.
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