On a sunny morning in early October, students took their brushes and rollers and put paint to brick working on two new murals that pay homage to Hopkinsville.
Both of the murals are part of an initiative by the Pennyroyal Arts Council that aims to give tourists more photo opportunities across the western Kentucky city. One of the new paintings says “Welcome to Hopkinsville” while the other features alien space ships as a tribute to Christian County’s extraterrestrial folklore.
While many area schools were out on fall break, local art educator Paula Gieseke led students ranging from fifth through 12th grade through the steps of bringing works from concept to creation.
For most of the dozen students in the arts camp, like 13-year-old Lucy Smith, it was their first time painting a mural. Smith said painting on bricks was quite different from her preferred mediums.
“There are many different mediums and places to paint,” she said. “I've learned here how to paint on bricks, how it's very coarse and hard to get to the tiny spots, because I've usually did painting on canvases where it’s very smooth.”
Despite the ease in her brushstrokes, Smith said she hadn't painted in some time, but her experience in the Pennyroyal Arts Council’s Youth Art Camp was “resparking” her desire to paint.
“I feel like it's been going well. I like being able to use my skill sets to be able to help out the community and to make the city a little bit better the way I can,” Smith said.
Gieseke said her design of the “Welcome to Hopkinsville” piece is based on similar murals in other Kentucky cities. Her design began as a rough sketch, then became a digital rendering that guided the mural painting. The artwork resides in the center of downtown Hopkinsville on the outside of the offices of Byers & Harvey, Real Estate & Property Management.
It wasn’t all work for the students. At times, camp leaders took them to local points of interest in Hopkinsville as both a chance to relax and learn more about the city. Local donut shops, museums and boutiques were just a few places students travelled to. Camp leaders said the purpose of the trips was to give students an opportunity to deepen their relationship with the local community.
Kelly Selfe, an arts education coordinator with the area’s arts council, said she thinks the camp was a success for both the students and the community. Selfe has oversaw previous murals camps and hopes to plan similar projects in the future.
