We completed phase II in late 2010, we colored our stadium walls with several talented local artists and the creativity was just incredible.  These murals provide wonderful artwork to highlight and promote community awareness the the non-profit organizations:  The ARC of Madison County, Junior League of Huntsville and Heals, Inc.  We were excited to participate and all of the long hours was definitely worth it!  Will provide some of the detailed photos soon!  Special thanks to Rita Carr and Tracey Sykes Chaplin for their great art talent, effort and time!

We recently had the pleasure of meeting Robert Reeves, with WHNT 19 News, with an interview, for "Robert on the Road" at the stadium at 4:30 A.M.! Thursday, June 25th 2009.  We had a great time!  Buck Rogers, Huntsville Stars General Manager, and Brian Massey, Huntsville Stars Marketing, opened up the stadium and flipped the stadium lights on for our interview regarding our MPCA project as well as doing a Call for Artists to participate...Below are some of the photos...along with my artist friends, who are also participating as talented artists with MPCA, Michele Lee, ArtisticFinishes Studio and Tracey Sykes, Art Lane Studios...and Nancy Haragan, Junior Achievement, Marketing Director...please check out our interview at www.WHNT.com, click on the Lifestyle tab, and then, Robert on the Road...the video clip is posted...for Murals to Promote Community Awareness (two out of three of the segments is posted). 

We also were featured on the Noon News, WAFF 48, with Lee Marshall regarding our participation with art events being held at Artisan's Cove, Hampton Cove, for their "Funky Fridays" and Travis Evans, The Girls and Boys Club, was also there to promote awareness to their non-profit organization.  We will be planning several art events, including an art bench project to benefit local non-profit organizations, and working with owner, Marguerite McClintock for several fall community art events, and a silent auction.  See pics of interview on set with Lee Marshall:

Please checkout the News Interview by Fox 54 (Thanks Wil Elrick!) regarding our MPCA Project by clicking on link below and follow the NEWS tab, Top Local News Right corner and onto Page 3:

http://www.fox54.com

We had our Dedication to the Murals Ceremony (Phase I) at the Joe Davis Stadium and it simply was incredible!  We were so pleased that the thunderstorms they were calling for...disappeared!  And all of our wonderful artists and their family and friends turned out, along with the non-profit organizations and their special family and friends too! 

Buck Rogers, General Manager, Huntsville Stars, kicked off the MPCA ceremony and is very pleased with our first phase, and fully supportive of our second phase getting underway in early June! 

I am humbled and honored to work with such selfless and dedicated artists as we have on the MPCA project.  Michele Lee and Ricky Sauls, Artistic Finishes, Chad Camp, and Payge Semmes and her students from Catholic High School.  We could not have launched a successful community art event of this magnitude without their volunteering their tremendous talent and donating their precious time to work these beautiful murals...their artwork stands alone...each mural unique and impressive, and especially depicting each non-profit's important mission, and bringing their messages to the community!

Thanks Buck and Babs Rogers!  They believed in us...and took a chance, and I know we will have their full support as we launch our second phase - for five additional murals, with three more pending other artists!

Again with the completion of the first phase of the MPCA murals, we now know that our project will be instrumental in bringing much needed awareness to these non-profit organizations as well as additional non-profits, while producing some incredible artwork that will brighten the stadium for years to come while promoting a good cause at the same time! 

Please check out just a couple of pictures from Phase I:

"Autism Society of North Alabama Mural - completed by talented artists:

Michele Lee and Ricky Saul, ArtisticFinishes Studio, please check out their website:

www.ArtisticFinishesStudio.com

"Gabrielle's Vision" art mural completed my Mellissa!  To promote awareness to Juvenile Rheumatoid (JA) Arthritis Related Uveitis, which can cause blindness in children.

Will be posting final pics of Junior Achievement of North Alabama's Mural developed and created by Payge Semmes and her Catholic High School Students

Will be posting final pics of Girl Scouts of Central North Alabama Mural developed and created by talented artist Chad Camp

The MPCA Art Project got underway on Sunday, March 8th, 2009.  Our talented artists had arrived at the Huntsville Stars, Joe Davis Stadium and began immediately assessing their own  7ft x 14 ft of concrete canvas!  These artists truly made a wonderful impact to the stadium and promoted some great non-profit organizations in the process!  Buck Rogers, Huntsville Stars General Manager, stated it was a "stellar" job on the murals, and expressed his appreciation and asked when we would begin on our next murals!

He came out and shook their hands and thanked the artists for their participation at the Joe!  We are proud to see the paint going on the walls!  We have some incredible talent, dedication and obvious pride in our community from our participating local artists.  We are looking for some additional artists/muralists to participate in our second phase of murals!  Please see the link below for the artist's applications, to submit along with sample of your artwork!

 Mellissa Meeks, owner and artist of Rather Be Painting, has been working on the first art mural "Gabrielle's Vision" to kickoff the MPCA Art Project and completed the mural which depicts the impact of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and has brought awareness of the inflammatory eye disease, Uveitis, which can cause blindness in children, especially if they are not properly screened.  I reference Gabrielle's Vision Non-Profit Organization website:  http://www.GabriellesVision.org. 

We have Chad Camp, a very talented local artist that has created an amazing layout/design for the mural for Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama, http://www.girlscoutsnca.org.com and it truly will reflect the value, tradition and new goals for this wonderful non-profit organization.

Payge Semmes, Catholic High School Art teacher and a team of her talented art students will be working together to create a wonderful mural for Junior Achievement of Huntsville, http://www.janaonline.org.  Their design is innovative and captures the spirit of community participation and the very important impact of Junior Achievement of North Alabama.

Michele Lee and Ricky with ArtisticFinishes, partners that are incredible artists, will be using their talent in creating a mural that presents the concept and importance of the Autism-Society of Alabama, http://www.autism-alabama.org

These artists have donated their time and talent to help promote community awareness to these non-profit organizations which have been instrumental in providing care, assistance and support to so many people in Alabama throughout the years.

We still have other non-profit organizations that are on the list to participate, but we need more talented artists to apply and participate in our wonderful MPCA project!

Please check out the details at Mellissa's website:  http://www.ratherbepainting.com and a webpage entitled:  Murals to Promote Community Awareness will tell provide you with the application details as well as how to contact Mellissa Meeks for further information.

If you are an artist that would like to participate, please see the information below and apply today!  It is a great way to give back to the community and promote the arts!

 
"Being given a talent is not always about making money." says local artist Michele Lee of Artistic Finishes "This life is about giving back."

History Overview of MPCA Launch:

I have been working away on various baseball theme murals for the Huntsville Stars at the Joe Davis Stadium.  And as I have developed several layouts for future murals - I have a project that is near and dear to me!  I have been working on the development of Gabrielle's Vision Mural, when I was inspired to launch a community awareness project that would highlight local artists talent while showcasing other non-profit organizations, and their very serious missions and goals that impact our community!   I am currently working on the first "Gabrielle's Vision" mural to depict the impact of Juvenile Rheumatory Arthritis and to bring awareness of the inflammatory eye disease, Uveitis, which can cause blindness in children, especially if they are not properly screened.  I reference Gabrielle's Foundation website:  http://www.GabriellesVision.org.

After discussing with Buck Rogers, General Manager at Huntsville Stars, and his wife Babs, we are wanting to launch art murals on walls throughout the entry ways into the stadium,  approximately 12 ft by 14ft concrete walls...this project would be "Murals to Promote Community Awareness" (MPCA)...with other local artist's participation, and possibly corporate sponsorship...we would love to see art murals that are created for local children's and adult foundations, and non-profit organizations that deeply impact our community with their contributions to better enhance adult and children's wellbeing, health and social environment.   I will be placing pictures and more information about participating artists and foundations/organizations soon to this website page!

 I want to highlight the importance and significance these murals could make to these foundations and non-profit organizations.  I am getting the word out regarding these murals!  If you are an artist that would like to donate some of your talent and time to paint at the stadium, and depict a foundation or non-profit organization at the same time, then, please contact me!  We will be finalizing the applications soon!

The article was featured in EnJoy! this past Sunday, June 29th regarding the "Murals to Promote Community Awareness"!  We are excited about this project we are kicking off!  We are forming a committee and will be scheduling a meeting in the next week to formulate our process.  We plan to have interested artists to complete an application and provide a brief summary of their experience and samples of their artwork, preferably murals...but if you are an experienced artist - please apply also!   We will also have an application process for the non-profit organizations as well.  Our goal is to get the artists in place, and then, the interested organizations can work with an individual artist to develop a draft sketch of their potential mural, this will be a part of the selection process and we will announce the organizations that will be represented in 10 walls of murals.  We will be planning more wall space in the future, and will retain a waiting list.  I have been contacted by several organizations and I am in the process of returning your phone calls.  I thank you for your interest and look forward to hearing your mural ideas and about your wonderful organizations!  More details will be announced soon!  And if you are a foundation or non-profit organization, please contact me and I would love to discuss with you the details and how to begin the creative process of getting murals developed that will highlight the essence of what your foundation/organization represents!

 If any other media is interested in getting the word out about this important project, please let me know because we would love to get this into our mainstream media to bring to our community's attention, this very important endeavor.  Together, we can truly make a difference.

Sincerely,

 Mellissa Meeks