AU art instructor and sophomore business major win local art contest
Ansleigh Davis, AU Business Major, poses with her completed mural "Water is Life" (photo provided by Ansleigh Davis)
By Lauren Salsman | staff writer
Downtown Augusta sidewalks are a little more colorful this spring, and not just because of the pollen. A recent contest orchestrated by the Greater Augusta Arts Counsel has selected many local artists to use their talent to help bring attention to the relationship between Augusta’s storm drains and the Savannah River.
More than 70 pieces were submitted for consideration for twelve of the cities storm drains. Voting was open to the public and after the polls closed on March 27, two Augusta University artists were selected to paint their submissions on the city’s sidewalks. The deadline to complete painting was April 11, so all of the selections are now available to view in person.
The theme “It All Flows Into the Savannah” is meant to draw attention to how storm drains become a hot-bed for pollutants such as oil, litter, cigarette butts, and other chemicals, that flow directly into the Savannah River by way of local canals and waterways and have a devastating impact on local ecosystem. Artists were encouraged to use the theme to guide their work and to use bold original designs to help draw attention to the work and to the message.
Cynthia Epps is a local artist and Augusta University art instructor who had two submissions and won one of two spots on the Augusta Commons with her submission entitled “Up the River”.
“I really wanted to emphasize that this water is going into the river” said Epps about her piece "I wanted to stay positive so instead of focusing on the trash I painted the animals and critters that would be impacted by the things that go into it”.
This is Epps’ second contribution to Augusta’s public art campaign. Her first was part of the “Art the Box” project, her piece “Yellow Magnolia” can be found on Walton way and Milledge Road.
A piece that was submit by Ansleigh Davis, an AU sophomore and business major, was selected for the storm drain on Reynolds and 8th Street. Her piece “Water is Life” is one of the bigger works in this project, and although this is her first foray into public art, she is already receiving a lot of positive feedback for her work on social media.
“For my piece I wanted to create something that was colorful and vibrant” says Davis “Without water, the beautiful things that life has to offer might not be alive. Water truly is the root of life!”
Directions from AU Summerville campus to the other selected murals can be found below:
Northeast corner of 10th & Broad
Southwest corner of 9th & Broad
8th & Broad near the “Funky” mural
7th & Broad right across from Edgar’s
8th and Greene near the Jessye Norman School of the Arts
Municipal Building on Telfair
5th and Telfair, near the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art
