Mural Training Program
Community Mural Institute - in Morganton, NC
Overview
Through the spring, summer and fall of 2024, the Community Mural Institute (CMI) will combine online and classroom instruction, experiential learning, and professional mentorship for twelve artists, creating and installing three large outdoor murals in Morganton, NC, that are designed and painted in collaboration with Morganton communities using the GoodSpace Method, utilizing the indirect polytab mural technique.
There is increasing interest in murals as a means of creative place-keeping and particular interest in professional murals that involve the community in their creation. However, there are very few opportunities to learn how this is done. CMI is offering you this rare opportunity.
About the Morganton CMI
This training program for emerging and established muralists will be done alongside our community partner, The Industrial Commons and its program TOSS in Morganton, NC.
In the summer of 2021, TOSS asked a group of high school students to identify stories in Burke County that weren’t represented through public art. Building on their research and a subsequent oral history project, TOSS has invested in the creation of 6 murals in Burke Country which amplify the local stories and themes.
“My experience with CMI was life changing. I made connections and learned a new skill that I can carry on long after the program is over. ”
What is the GoodSpace Method?
We are thrilled to spread this indirect mural technique that encourages larger community participation and durable long-lasting beautiful murals in public spaces. Lead muralists and assistants will come through the CMI fully trained in this mural method.
To learn more about this method, watch this 2 minute video.
To learn more about the origins of the poly tab mural technique check out this link.
“I truly enjoyed so many aspects of this residency. It has been one of the most impactful experiences I have been a part of since moving to NC. I have no doubt it will influence the way I engage as a public artist for the rest of my career. ”
Mural by Eric Okdeh, photographed by Isabella Dellolio Photography
The GoodSpace Method starts with facilitated, community gatherings we call Listening Sessions to identify themes, ideas and images that are meaningful for a particular group. Lead Muralists create a design using that data with support from CMI Instructors. The designs will be approved by the project organizers, steering committee, and the building owners.
Data collected from the listening sessions in response to an activity called Spiral Story. Participants think of key elements from their past, present, and future. They are brought together as a collective timeline. 2023
Participants from three Listening Sessions in Morganton, 2023
Initial sketch by Kiana Mui, 2023
Initial sketch in the mural design process by Ian Brownlee, 2023
Once approved, mural teams made up of a Lead Muralist and 3 Mural Assistants will be trained in the preparation of the mural canvas (polytab). Each mural design will be projected onto polytab, creating a giant paint-by-numbers.
Mui’s final design plotted and formatted for transfer, 2023
Team meeting to review the color key, 2023
Kiana Mui, transferring the design to poly, 2023
The polytab sheets will be brought out into the community for paint parties run by the CMI teams where anyone and everyone can help paint.
Paint Parties in Morganton, NC, 2023
After that, the CMI teams will do the detail work and overpainting, and then be trained in polytab mural installation, in which the poly tab is adhered to the wall like permanent wallpaper.
Left - Instructor Greta Mclain on a mural install
Center - Morganton CMI install, 2023
Once installed, polytab murals look like they were painted directly onto the wall, are permanent, and last longer than murals painted directly onto the wall. The community organizes ribbon cuttings to celebrate!
Ribbon Cutting Events, 2023
Roles
There are two roles for artists participating in the CMI: Lead Muralists and Mural Assistants. All participants will learn the techniques and have opportunities to practice 1) community-engaged mural design, 2) community-engaged mural painting, 3) polytab mural prep, and 4) installation. The three Lead Muralists will each be in charge of a mural - painting the portraits and other signature stylistic elements. The Mural Assistants will participate in the community design and painting process and will work in teams with the Lead Muralists to paint and install the murals.
Instructors
The Community Mural Institute is designed and run by Greta McLain, the Founder and Artistic Director of GoodSpace Murals and Britt Ruhe, the Director of Common Wealth Murals and Producer of Fresh Paint Springfield.
Greta McLain, Owner and Artistic Director of GoodSpace Murals, has over 15 years of mural making experience. Greta uses muralism to explore the ways that art can bring communities together, the power of visual language to activate voice, and the potential of art as a vehicle for hands-on organizing and educating. She has spent her career studying new and traditional mural techniques in order to fine tune her mural practice for community participation. She has created over 50 projects in and around the United States (Minnesota, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania,North Dakota, and California) as well as internationally with works in Argentina, Mexico, Cuba and France. Greta works out of Minneapolis and travels around the country/world muraling and teaching wherever community art can be activated as a tool for positive community engagement. She earned her BA from the University of California Davis and her MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Britt Ruhe is the founder and Director of Common Wealth Murals, (CWM). Since 2019 CWM has facilitated the creation of more than 40 murals, over half of which were created in collaboration with community. CWM produces Fresh Paint Springfield, an annual mural festival bringing neighborhood-specific fine art to diverse neighborhoods across Springfield, collaborates in the production of Springfield’s annual graffiti jam, and has produced window installations, bike kiosk installations, sidewalk art installations, and other temporary public art installations. For over 20 years, Britt has led non-profit organizations, applying her skills in community organizing, project management, fiscal management, and public relations to create transformative opportunities for people to work together to improve their own communities. Britt holds a BA in Community Development and an MBA from UMass.
Partners
The Industrial Commons founds and scales employee owned social enterprises and industrial cooperatives, and supports frontline workers to build a new southern working class that erases the inequities of generational poverty and builds an economy and future for all.
TOSS is a program of The Industrial Commons. We have 5 board members, 13 steering committee members, and a staff of 2. Our mission is to foster and share our values around the future of work, environmental sustainability, and civic engagement through the arts. Harnessing the power of visual art and community organizing, we work toward personal and institutional transformation for and with working class families. Through our educational programs students are trained in creative, critical thinking and familiarized with visual mediums. Through public art projects, we highlight our diverse communities and prompt civil dialogue around important issues. Last year we clocked 78,236 hours of impact, serving over 1,450 students and 2,000 members of the community.
Artist Selection Criteria
Artists will be selected to participate based on the following.
“CMI is a blast, and will open doors for you in ways you never thought possible!”
