Written by Janet Orgain
Members of the Harding art department are taking their talents to the streets, both in Searcy and around the globe. Harding University Professor of Art and Design Daniel Adams and several art students painted murals in downtown Searcy Aug. 16-27 to prepare for their trip next summer to Ghana, West Africa, where they will paint murals at the Village of Hope.Adams said the Searcy murals are giving students the experience needed to prepare for the trip.”Before we go, I try to provide a mural painting ‘day of training,'” Adams said. “This year, that opportunity happens to be the side wall of the Tax Assessor/Collector offices in downtown Searcy on Spruce Street.”Adams said he plans to paint eight panels total and will complete the project in the fall of 2011. He and the art team finished four of the eight panels before Adams left for Harding University in Australasia. Jonathan Alexander, a senior graphic design major, said each panel is based on a characteristic of Searcy or White County. So far, the subject matter has been industry, healthcare, agriculture and natural gas.”It’s cool because it’s not just a random painting,” Alexander said. “[Each panel] is relative to people in the community.”The team’s project has attracted many onlookers, senior graphic design major Dave Towell said.”We’ve had people come by and say, ‘Did you paint that?'” Towell said. “Citizens are just amazed at what is being done. With the whole revitalization of Main Street, [the murals] are really enhancing it.”The Searcy murals are a prerequisite for the team’s work in Ghana. Students said their assignment downtown helped prepare them to work on other large-scale projects.Alexander said even going back to the simplicity of using a brush and paint was an adjustment.”As a graphic designer, it’s hard to find ways to use my artistic ability to do big things [as a student], but it’s nice to go back to those basic art skills,” Alexander said. “No computer, no mouse; just a brush. And the fact that it’s helping others and making them feel better is nice.”Towell said the team plans to paint the medical clinic on the Village of Hope campus this summer. Last year, the art group painted a map of the world, highlighting Africa and Ghana so the children would know where they lived in relation to the rest of the world. The most exciting part for the art team is working among the children, Towell said.”I love kids, and kids understand art and understand pictures much better than words,” Towell said. “It’s a great way for me to reach out to them. It’s kind of amazing. We’re using the talents that God has given us to share with others.”
