GetSmART! 'Beyond the Divide' with Mural Design & Making

Get ready to think big—really big! Join artist and educator Anthony Tidwell during a special workshop 6-8 p.m. April 6 at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and turn your bold ideas into wall-sized art. In this fun, beginner-friendly session, participants explore how to transform blank spaces into colorful stories that celebrate community.

Learn techniques muralists use to plan and design -- from concept to scaling. Participants have the opportunity to create and submit their own mural concepts, using the theme Jazz & Ninth Street History. One concept may be chosen to become an actual mural during our hands-on learning session from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 11 in Little Rock.

• Develop a mural concept that reflects community stories and themes
• Plan artwork for large-scale walls using simple layout and grid techniques
• Understand how different wall textures impact mural making

Beyond the Divide will select a mural design produced and submitted to the facilitator during the April 6 workshop. The design is for a temporary, outdoor mural that will be part of a mural-paint-and-learn day on April 11 along Ninth Street in Little Rock. Anyone can participate in the design or community mural-making day, but children should be accompanied by an adult.

• Scale up and sketch out a mural
• Create community by painting together
• One-on-one consultation and help by artist Anthony Tidwell

This one-time, learning series event is part of celebrations happening along Ninth Street in Little Rock for Beyond the Divide. Come learn, create unity and celebrate the arts with us. This free event is family friendly. Registration is required for April 6.

Anthony Tidwell is a dedicated artist, muralist and community leader with a lifelong commitment to creating positive change. A native of Hot Springs, Tidwell has consistently demonstrated a strong passion for youth development, prevention and community empowerment.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a minor in Early Childhood Education from Arkansas Tech University. While working with Ouachita Children’s Youth & Family Services in Hot Springs, Tidwell completed specialized training and obtained certification as a Prevention Specialist, further strengthening his ability to support children, families and communities through evidence-based practices.

Tidwell’s education, professional experience, and community involvement inspired the creation of Cutwell 4 Kids, a community-based nonprofit organization. The mission of Cutwell 4 Kids is to promote and support the self-awareness, growth and individuality of every child through artistic expression and prevention-focused programming.

Tidwell is a recipient to the Arkansas Arts Council’s Governor’s Arts Awards and previously sat on the advisory board. He has been a leader in creating murals all over downtown Hot Springs.

studioMAIN's Beyond the Divide project is a monthlong demonstration project along the Historic West 9th Street Corridor in Little Rock. The area was once a thriving center of Black culture, music and business. Events, including a mural design and construction series by the Arkansas Arts Council, will showcase how the arts create vibrancy, connectivity and creative placemaking opportunities and will show what a safe and connected future for the neighborhood could look like. For the mural-making workshops, Beyond the Divide will seek designs from participants April 6 under the theme of Jazz & Ninth Street History. An accepted mural will be created April 11 on a shipping container wall donated by Hugg & Hall Mobile Storage. Beyond the Divide is supported by Smart Growth America's Community Connectors program. Information can be found online at https://www.studio-main.org/beyond-the-divide.

The Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of Arkansas Heritage, which is a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, advances and empowers the arts in Arkansas. The agency supports and perpetuates cultural, educational and economic opportunities in the arts for the benefit of all Arkansans.

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Host or Publisher Arkansas Arts Council