Rain Art Now In Downtown Newberry
After a year of frustration and anxiety Hugh Gray, executive director of Westview Behavioral Health in Newberry, South Carolina, saw an opportunity to bring a little joy to folks, even in poor weather. Last fall he reached out to the City of Newberry about starting a positive message campaign in the downtown district. Discussions lead to the creation of a stenciled “Rain Art” project on downtown’s city sidewalks.
A partnership formed between the City of Newberry and Westview that allowed for the purchase of the stencils and product, thanks to special funding from the behavioral health service. Stencils and a hydrophobic spray product called “NeverWet” were used to create designs. The results yield a design that appears on the sidewalk when wet, as the image and text repel moisture. The first two designs are on display now, utilizing the slogans of the partnering organizations; “Thank you for Visiting the City of Friendly Folks,” from the City of Newberry and “Each Day is a New Beginning,” from Westview. The designs can be found on Caldwell Street, across from downtown’s Community Hall ( 1200 Caldwell Street), and Boyce Street, next to the Community Hall building (1118 Boyce Street).
Additional designs will be added to the district’s city owned sidewalks along Boyce, Caldwell, and McKibben Streets, as well as Astwood Park (1319 Main Street), over the coming weeks as weather permits. Designs will include the phrase “When life gives you rain, play in the puddles,” and “Bee Happy,” and “Bee Joyful,” the last two featuring an image of a honey bee in the place of the word “bee.” The designs are expected to last anywhere from three to nine months as climate and weather will naturally fade the product over time.
“The messages in the rain art project help support each of us, as an individual, with a sense of positivity, and then weaves that feeling like strand between us, collectively, to build community attachment. This helps increase resilience in people and build a greater sense of community,” said Hugh Gray, Executive Director of Westview Behavioral Health.
“We were thrilled with the concept of bridging a simple art form with positivity and bringing that to the downtown district. There’s a beauty in how the positive messages appear in poor weather conditions. It’s a very when life gives you lemons approach to spreading joy. We send a big thank you to Westview for their partnership on this project,” said Mary Alex Kopp, Tourism & Events Manager for the City of Newberry.
A map of the Rain Art Positive Message Campaign locations can be found at this link: https://rb.gy/p6eqzq. As stencil designs are added to the district, locations will be added to the live map. If visitors are downtown on a sunny day, they are welcome pour a small amount of water over the design to watch it appear!
For more information call 803-321-1015. Follow the City of Newberry on social media @CityofNewberry/@CityofNewberrySC (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn).
After a year of frustration and anxiety Hugh Gray, executive director of Westview Behavioral Health in Newberry, South Carolina, saw an opportunity to bring a little joy to folks, even in poor weather. Last fall he reached out to the City of Newberry about starting a positive message campaign in the downtown district. Discussions lead to the creation of a stenciled “Rain Art” project on downtown’s city sidewalks.
A partnership formed between the City of Newberry and Westview that allowed for the purchase of the stencils and product, thanks to special funding from the behavioral health service. Stencils and a hydrophobic spray product called “NeverWet” were used to create designs. The results yield a design that appears on the sidewalk when wet, as the image and text repel moisture. The first two designs are on display now, utilizing the slogans of the partnering organizations; “Thank you for Visiting the City of Friendly Folks,” from the City of Newberry and “Each Day is a New Beginning,” from Westview. The designs can be found on Caldwell Street, across from downtown’s Community Hall ( 1200 Caldwell Street), and Boyce Street, next to the Community Hall building (1118 Boyce Street).
Additional designs will be added to the district’s city owned sidewalks along Boyce, Caldwell, and McKibben Streets, as well as Astwood Park (1319 Main Street), over the coming weeks as weather permits. Designs will include the phrase “When life gives you rain, play in the puddles,” and “Bee Happy,” and “Bee Joyful,” the last two featuring an image of a honey bee in the place of the word “bee.” The designs are expected to last anywhere from three to nine months as climate and weather will naturally fade the product over time.
“The messages in the rain art project help support each of us, as an individual, with a sense of positivity, and then weaves that feeling like strand between us, collectively, to build community attachment. This helps increase resilience in people and build a greater sense of community,” said Hugh Gray, Executive Director of Westview Behavioral Health.
“We were thrilled with the concept of bridging a simple art form with positivity and bringing that to the downtown district. There’s a beauty in how the positive messages appear in poor weather conditions. It’s a very when life gives you lemons approach to spreading joy. We send a big thank you to Westview for their partnership on this project,” said Mary Alex Kopp, Tourism & Events Manager for the City of Newberry.
A map of the Rain Art Positive Message Campaign locations can be found at this link: https://rb.gy/p6eqzq. As stencil designs are added to the district, locations will be added to the live map. If visitors are downtown on a sunny day, they are welcome pour a small amount of water over the design to watch it appear!
For more information call 803-321-1015. Follow the City of Newberry on social media @CityofNewberry/@CityofNewberrySC (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn).
