City of Clemson Has New Mural Program

When the post office in Clemson asked city officials about getting a mural painted on its leased building, that led Assistant City Administrator Allison Gantte to Joan Phillips, director of the City of Clemson Arts Center, and ultimately to a private-public partnership that launched in May.

So far, the city has pledged up to $6000 to help fund the creation of murals on private buildings in the city of Clemson. The goal, said Phillips, is to “put more art in the city.” About $2000 would be allotted to each mural, with part of that sum going to the artist.

So far, the Arts Center has four artists who have expressed interest. No murals have been created yet, but the post office is looking into it, and word is spreading.

Any artists who are South Carolina residents can participate. They should identify a potential site for the mural (it must be within city limits), talk to the business owner, and apply to the Arts Center by emailing Phillips at jphillips@cityofclemson.org. The proposed design, which must be family friendly and free of logos, has to be approved by the business owner and a committee made up of representatives from the city and the Arts Center. Members of the community should also be notified. The use of a tiger paw must be approved by Clemson University.

The Arts Center had already done three murals before this program launched (see photos above).

Artists who want to be part of this project should know how to do a large-scale drawing on a wall. “It may be as simple as projecting an image onto a wall and tracing it,” said Phillips, who added that “This is a good time for the arts in Clemson.”