Whether you’re already starting to get out and about or prefer to stay at home a little while longer, I think we can all agree that what we’ve been through the past couple of months has been a once in a lifetime experience (we hope).

In order to commemorate this strange season and remember all the good that has come out of the bad, we invite you to participate in the “2020 GVL Love Project” – a collaborative effort between GVLtoday, Sunny Mullarkey, the Metropolitan Arts Council (MAC), and 62 of you.

Local artist Sunny Mullarkey (you might remember her work as the poster + t-shirt for Artisphere 2019) has designed a mural that will hang in the window of MAC’s headquarters on Main Street for several weeks in June to spread the love to all Greenvillians during this challenging time.

Rendering of the “2020 GVL Love Project” murals at MAC’s HQ

But the coolest part is, we need YOUR help – Greenville community – to complete this project. There are 62 individual 1’x1’ squares that make up the mural, and we want to see all the talent + imagination that’s out there in our city by having you create your own piece of the puzzle.

Here’s how it will work:

Click here to visit Sunny’s website and purchase your square. Each square costs $15.90 – 100% of all profits (after tax + the cost of supplies) will be donated to MAC – an “art for art’s sake” project.
During the checkout process, you will be asked to select a time to pick up your square from Sunny’s studio (May 19-22). Collect your square from Sunny during the time you select; she’ll have everything arranged out on her porch to safely practice social distancing. (Note: During the checkout process, you will be asked to enter your shipping address, which can later be used as your billing address. Please be mindful this is a system technicality, and we will not be shipping any of these squares.)
Now comes the fun part – take your square home + unleash your creativity. There are just a couple of rules: stay inside the lines provided on your piece + use green or blue as the predominant color where indicated. Certain portions of most squares must be green for the “GVL” mural or blue for the smaller “heart” mural in order to make these focal points pop.
Other than that – it’s up to you. Splatter paint it, watercolor it, collage it, bedazzle it, use your family’s handprints, make a geometric pattern, glue on pasta or pom poms – the more unique each piece, the more interesting the mural will be when they are all put together. (#ProTip: Sunny will provide a guide of where your piece fits into the overall mural for reference + which sections of your piece must be green for the “GVL” mural or blue for the smaller “heart” mural.)
Return your piece back to Sunny’s studio when you’re done (during the designated drop off time you selected at purchase between May 26-29), and that’s it.
Stop by MAC on foot or in your car + check out the completed mural – we’ll be sure to let you know when it’s up in the window.

Check out how pieces completed by Sunny + GVLtoday Editor, Ana, are so very different, but fit together in the overall design. A few last things to note - there are a limited number of squares, and they are first come first serve, so get yours today. And feel free to email Sunny or us here at GVLtoday with any questions. We can’t wait to see the finished product, Greenville!

Portions of the mural completed by Sunny Mullarkey + GVLtoday Editor, Ana

Mural square completed by GVLtoday Editor, Ana

Mural square completed by Sunny Mullarkey