A crosswalk can be more than a way to get from one side of the street to the other—it can become a canvas for community. Today, Finch Elementary School officially dedicated a new intersection mural that will welcome students with color, creativity and community pride at the school’s front door.
The project was a collaboration between the Atlanta Department of Transportation, the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA), and Atlanta Public Schools, with OCA identifying the artist team for the project. Atlanta-based arts organization Art in the Paint, led by artist Elise Garcia, was selected to bring the vision to life.
What makes this project especially meaningful is that the artwork was created with the school community. Finch Elementary students and administration joined the artist in painting portions of the mural, helping transform the intersection into a work of public art that they can see, experience and take ownership of every day. Public art has the power to make our shared spaces more welcoming while giving communities a voice in the places they call home. At Finch Elementary, students didn’t just get to see the artwork—they helped create it. This is what community-centered public art looks like.
