Strolling in downtown Spartanburg these days is an artistic adventure thanks to four local artists, including Michael Webster, assistant professor of studio art at Wofford College.
Webster was among teams selected to participate in the Creative Crosswalk Public Art Project conceived by the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg. Artists created and painted designs at three intersections along West Main Street: the crosswalks at King, Spring and Magnolia streets.
“Public art projects that are highly visible in the city are indicators of a larger active cultural community. Visitors to Spartanburg might not see all of the visual and performing artists that are working to make Spartanburg an arts destination, but public art is evidence that there is support for a vibrant, culturally engaged city,” says Webster, whose work investigates the social organization of space. “Public art also provides an opportunity to imagine our public spaces as engaging in unexpected ways. The act of walking across the street can become a heightened sensory experience instead of background noise between destinations.”
The actual painting took about 20 hours in one day, according to Webster, who was assisted with his project by Micah Tiffin ’20, a sociology and anthropology major with a minor in studio art from Greenville, S.C., along with Dr. Youmi Efurd, curator of Wofford’s galleries; Dr. David Efurd, associate professor in the Department of Art and Art History; and Webster’s wife, Ashley Gilreath.
“It was backbreaking work, and I appreciate all of their help,” Webster says. He adds that Jeremy Powers ’21, a finance major from Spartanburg, who has a video and photography studio called Sky Shutter Media, used his drone for aerial photos of the finished product.
In addition, Webster spent another 40 hours planning the project, measuring the crosswalk, sketching dozens of design ideas, refining his work, then rendering the best three designs in Photoshop and submitting his favorite — which was approved.
A particular challenge was finding a way to incorporate the existing white bars in the crosswalk in a way that was cohesive and allowed for the design to have a sense of wholeness. “I wanted to privilege the pedestrian experience over the experience of the motorist by generating visual energy and movement for the pedestrian,” says Webster, who has an MFA in sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Enhancing downtown walkability and showing off the arts in Spartanburg is the purpose of the Creative Crosswalk Public Art Project, says Christopher George, the city’s communications manager. “Our robust, diverse local arts scene is one of the most important ways Spartanburg sets itself apart as a city, and these vibrant and inspired crosswalk murals are a fantastic addition to our downtown cultural district,” he says.
Jennifer Evins, president and CEO of the Chapman Cultural Center, adds that the project incorporates art as a part of everyday life and shows how the arts can play a role in important issues such as public safety.
The other artists who participated in the project were Matthew Donaldson, a University of South Carolina Upstate professor, and artists Frankie Page, aka Frankie Zombie, and Adrian Meadows, aka IIAspire.
By Laura Corbin