New Mural Art at MidCity gathered community to take part

Photo by Kelly Lopez

Photo by Kelly Lopez

The Camp at MidCity hosted an INCREDIBLE “Paint by Numbers Community Mural” event on Friday, November 2^nd, inviting the regional community to pick up a paintbrush to participate in one of the first public art pieces at MidCity.

Lindsey Pattillo-Keane, of RCP Companies, and Layne Taylor, of Auburn University’s Industrial Design department, partnered to create the design for the “View from Above” mural. The geometric mural design is inspired by the topographic map of North Alabama. The design is meant to give subtle and artistic appreciation to the mountains and rivers that created Huntsville. The creative influence behind the design came from the Wynwood District of Miami, a district that exudes the power of creativity and color.

Taylor said that the vision for the design was to incorporate the Huntsville area in an implicit way.

Photo by Kelly Lopez

“The various parks and outdoor activities are one of the many reasons why we all love Huntsville so much,” Taylor said. “I created abstract forms inspired by the topographic views of the mountainous Huntsville area, which was the foundation of this design. The contrasting colors represent the diversity of our beloved town, from the art culture flowing from Lowe Mill to the energizing environment of Yellowhammer Brewery. Along with the mountainous terrain, the Tennessee River is undoubtedly one of the greatest natural resources in Huntsville, which is why I made it a focal point of the design. Contrasting from the rest of the mural, the black and white stripes represent the greatness of the river.”

The paint-by-numbers concept came to Pattillo-Keane when she saw the Nashville skyline made into a Paint by Numbers kit by Camilla Spadafino. Pattillo-Keane knew that calling upon the community for a large mural would be exactly what MidCity is all about; joining together to create something spectacular.

Photo by Kelly Lopez

“It was inspiring to see people of all ages and backgrounds contribute to this piece of public art. Siblings, couples, and families decided to paint their portion together and it was a wonderful sight to see,” says Lindsey Pattillo-Keane, “Painters enjoyed the delicious cuisine from The Camp Trucks, tasty libations from The Camp Bar, and live local music throughout the night.”