Have you ever gone by Young Brother’s Pharmacy? The famous painting was painted back in 1894 as the world’s first outdoor advertisement for Coca-Cola. Despite its somber closure just this year, the mural remains a critical piece of history and a staple of our beautiful town, and its impact cannot be overstated. This applies to all murals, like those covering the buildings near Center Parc Stadium Or, more locally, the various art galleries and showcases around downtown Cartersville. But what is the significance of murals? It’s actually a lot more impactful than you think.

For example, they’re simply nice to look at, a speck of color in a world that some may see as bleak. You see a piece of colorful art on the wall of a building, and you may go “Wow. That’s nice.” It’s a simple enhancement made from the passions of your fellow man, and yet it can brighten your day! As stated by an organization named Art in Context, “A piece of art’s beauty enhances a city…. It may also be claimed that the existence of huge, public murals might enhance the visual quality of residents’ or employees’ everyday life at a workplace.” When one is stuck within a building for a long period, it can certainly take a toll on your mood, just look at your average high school student! However, when something lively, colorful, and made with love, you can’t help but smile. Additionally, seeing certain colors is scientifically proven to enhance your mood. When looking at color psychology, most notably a survey done by Psychology Today a few years ago, there are global patterns regarding colors. When you see colors commonly used in murals–such as yellow, green, orange, and bright blues–it’s proven that they will make you feel joy! The same can be said for lighter colors like turquoise and pink. As these colors are associated with more positive emotions, seeing them as you work or as you walk is proven to lighten up your mood. Henceforth, it can also give the image of a more beautiful city, especially in downtown areas that have a lot of older, beige, and dark red architecture. When paired with paintings, the culture of a town can bloom. 

Additionally, the creation of murals can bring the community together! Other examples include Downtown Cartersville’s Wing Contest from early 2020 and the development of the Friendship Mural. 

Opportunities like these not only bring artists in the community together, but they also allow people in the community to admire public art together. Ms. Jenkins, one of Cass High’s art teachers, “…I think it adds to our community, and as diverse as we are… just having a chance to get together and talk.” These opportunities to bond with friends can effectively tie groups of people together. With this community balance, it only makes sense that people would use it to express their beliefs as a unit. Jenkins references the Berlin Wall and how it was a way for them to indicate that “We’re here! We’re here!” It’s within human nature to express grievances, so graffiti and, arguably, more legal public art is not only an important piece of history, but it is also a representation of the grit of the human spirit.

 Art such as this has always portrayed culture, it’s been at the forefront of many social movements, cementing that this or that is what the people believe and that nothing can strike them down. It’s simply the philosophical theory of civil disobedience; this idea was published by Henry David Thoreau and it states that when a law is unjust, it’s your duty as a free person to cement your liberty through simply doing the opposite. It doesn’t encourage violence, simply rebellion. This is what the Berlin Wall represents, that is what art truly represents to some people. Murals can be a way for some people to tell the public that someone is there and that someone understands. It’s a matter of humanity’s natural rights and their instincts to make their mark on society. Art is part of our history, and artists are historians, it’s only apt to celebrate this right. 

Cutting the semantics, murals are powerful. They can brighten people’s moods and bring the community together. The next time you’re walking around downtown, or anywhere for that matter, remember that art is the human spirit, something that should be appreciated and spread around the world. The beauty of art makes the world go round.