Murals of Meridian
Murals of Meridian
By Elizabeth Scott Bond and Kaits Kerley
Have you been to Cater’s Market lately? What about the new restaurant downtown called Mia’s? The new beautiful murals on these buildings and in other places around our town are a testament to the commitment to beautify our city. The sides of buildings have become giant canvases to display local talent and create an atmosphere on the outside that reveals what Meridian is on the inside: artsy.
Our very own art teacher here at Lamar School is a member of the mural team in Meridian whose goal is to beautify our hometown with intricate murals. These multipurpose murals both advertise local businesses and give curb appeal to new customers. Carruth and her team have a step-by-step design process, and the first step is brainstorming. She and two other creative art teachers meet with business owners to bounce ideas off one another and create a vision for the mural. Then, the process of drawing begins. Each artist creates their own individual concept using Procreate on an iPad, and the business owner will choose their favorite look among the options. Once the drawing is approved, the fun can begin! Using the grid method, the image is projected to fit the size of the wall. To Mrs. Carruth’s surprise, there were many locals eager to help paint these works of art for our city. She says, “People of all different backgrounds, career paths, and cultures come together to create these amazing murals, and it’s just really cool to see.” She also says that you don’t need any artistic background to come help paint- all you need is a paintbrush and a good attitude! So far, Mrs. Carruth and her team have painted an AllieCat mural, a David Ruffin mural, and ones at Mia’s Cafe and Cater’s Market. However, there are many more in the works and on their way! Meridian is forever grateful for this committed team that is doing their best to make Meridian beautiful. Lamar takes pride in having Mrs. Carruth at the epicenter of this mission, and we look forward to seeing her future works sprinkled all across Meridian.
