The Bethlehem Center and AIM Center will commemorate the installation of a public art project at The Bethlehem Center on Friday at 10:30 a.m. The public art project, We Fly, is a collaborative mural that combines the creative efforts of members from AIM Center Fine Arts Department and youth enrolled in The Bethlehem Center’s 2015 summer program.
Implemented by Mark Making, a local arts organization, the participants in this public art project benefited from a series of visual arts and civic classes in preparation for this undertaking. Mark Making facilitated the project by inviting artist Judith Mogul to guide the creative process. Ms. Mogul, also the visual arts coordinator at AIM Center, organized the painted elements that each participant created into a cohesive visual statement, which ultimately became the 97 running foot mural that now enlivens the east exterior wall of The Bethlehem Center.
Defined by soaring butterflies, We Fly communicates beauty and change. The paintings, which visually enhance the neighborhood, are symbolic of the physical and social development taking place in the South Chattanooga community. On a more personal note, the theme of metamorphosis associated with the butterfly is symbolic of the alterations experienced by individuals at different stages in their life and particularly the life changes occurring during the recovery process of people with mental illness, said officials.
Ms. Mogul said AIM Center values projects that benefit the community. “The opportunity to participate in a public art project is integral to the mission of AIM Center. Sharing their artwork and contributing to the community, offers a great opportunity for socialization and self-advocacy for the members.”
Marking Making founder and current art director, Frances McDonald, emphasizes the role that public art plays in strengthening and reserving a sense of community. "Empowerment is possible when underserved persons can create real change in their neighborhoods,” says Ms. McDonald. “Mark Making offers opportunities for residents to transform their communities and, subsequently, own the changes they make. Most notably, public art, created in partnership with a neighborhood, builds community and impacts lives."
Developed and coordinated by Mark Making, We Fly represents a partnership between Mark Making, The Bethlehem Center, and AIM Center. The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and Mark Making funded the mural project.