'It's a good creative energy': Artists join forces in Augusta's 5th Street Mural Festival

It's not every day that one project will result in Augusta receiving more than a dozen new pieces of public art, but here it is.

Augusta's 5th Street Mural Festival has brought together artists from throughout the South to paint a variety of 3-foot tall murals on the walls of the entrance to the 5th Street Bridge, also known as Freedom Bridge.

The longest piece is a 40-foot mural saluting women in the military. For its creator, Destinee Love of North Augusta, it's her first mural and hopefully not the last.

"I've struggled with portraits, but something about it being big, it's just happening so naturally for me," Love said. "This is just the beginning."

Several other artists are working on 10- or 20-feet wide pieces covering the rest of the walls. Each one carries a unique depiction and meaning, with some showing images of space or animals while others illustrate more abstract concepts. The mural from Carrie Everitt of Evans combines the beauty of the Golden Isles at St. Simons Island with diversity and inclusion elements.

"When we submitted designs, I figured a lot of people would be doing Augusta-based stuff, so I wanted to throw my hat in there with something different," Everitt said.

Because there are multiple muralists painting at the same time, there has also been a great social aspect to this project, especially for artists like Theron Cartwright of Augusta who often works alone or at home.

"I like it because working with other artists motivates me," Cartwright said. "I look around and I see somebody do something that inspires me and I'll see techniques that I'll try. It's a good creative energy."

Work on all of the murals is scheduled to conclude by Saturday. A mural ribbon cutting will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Food trucks will be available with refreshments.

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This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta 5th Street Bridge Mural Festival, new public artworks