Upstate Kids Beautify Downtown Greenville!

Several Upstate artists are busy at work on Stone Avenue in Greenville, painting three different murals as part of the Stone Mural Project. It’s part of the fifth annual community project to help decorate the buildings there.

On Tuesday, May 29th, over 100 5th graders from Stone Academy will help complete one of the murals on Watson Finance on Stone Ave. These students worked with artists Eli Blasko and Russell Bannan of Bannan Blasko LLC, to create the design.

Under the direction of Bannan and Blasko, Furman students are currently helping to paint the mural as part of a Maymester public art class. They will be paired with the Stone Avenue children in shifts to complete the mural Tuesday.

Meanwhile, there are 2 other murals going up on Stone Avenue. One, located on the outside wall of The Bohemian, is by Annie Koelle. The design is in honor of the Gridley Club in Greenville that is reaching its 100th anniversary in 2019.

The other is on the side of the Bombshell Lounge, designed and painted by Artisphere’s 2018 Emerging Artist Michelle Jardines. The mural is in honor of Mike Mecklinburg, an uber driver who died in Greenville last year. “It’s very reminiscent of the sky and clouds Mike used to paint as a watercolors,” Burnette said.

All three murals are expected to be revealed in a simultaneous ribbon cutting ceremony June 5th or 6th, depending on weather conditions.