I created two crosswalk designs to be considered for the intersection of Market St. and Vaughn St. in Clarkston, Georgia. The city received a grant to paint the crosswalk and asked the art students at Georgia State University’s Clarkston campus to submit design ideas.
Clarkston with a population of over 14,000 has been deemed the most diverse square mile in America. At least half of the residents were born outside the US.
Design 1 features a large central sun to represent the refugee population that came to Clarkston seeking the “warmth of other suns” – a phrase taken from a poem by Richard Wright. The figures in the center represent community and the diversity of the population. The symbols in the sun’s rays are taken from the native flags of the resident refugees.Design 2 includes a sun background. The figures in the center represent community and the diversity of the population. The crosswalk features a basket weave to represent the basketry of refugees that have settled in Clarkston as well as to symbolize the many cultures woven together to make up the community. Native baskets are used in one of the small businesses near the crosswalk.
Materials/Technique: Both designs were created in WORD using the draw feature on a touch screen. I created the basket weave pattern by hand (see below) and then photographed and resized to fit in the crosswalk. For both designs I used the paint colors available to the city: light blue or aqua, dark blue, red, green, yellow and white.
Basket weave pattern created on graph paper using watercolor markers
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