News Flash

The fourth annual Hearts for the Arts Gala is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Emerald Ballroom in downtown Greenville.  The event raises money for Hunt County Public Art, a Keep Greenville Beautiful project that aims to beautify and revitalize public spaces with murals, sculptures and other artwork created by local artists. 

Tickets are available for $50 atHuntCountyPublicArt.com, or $55 the day of the event. Tickets are also available at the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, Landon Winery, Alliance Bank main branch in Greenville and the Magnuson Hotel in Commerce. 

This year’s gala will raise funds for two public art projects: a mural at the Hunt Regional Emergency Medical Center in Commerce, and painting an old, L-shaped sign at a prominent intersection in downtown Greenville.  “We’re incredibly excited about these two new projects,” said Byron Taylor, a founder of Hunt County Public Art and CEO of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce. “It’s another step in adding color and vibrancy to symbolize how our communities are moving forward.”

The project planned for Hunt Regional’s new medical building in Commerce will be painted by Debora Schubert Lytle.  Her concept for the mural, “Native Wildflowers,” takes its inspiration from the natural beauty of Northeast Texas, including Indian paintbrushes, Indian blankets, coreopsis, bluebonnets and sunflowers. It also includes monarch butterflies and at least one hummingbird.  “Hopefully it will provide a cheerful, tranquil feeling and brighten the day of anyone visiting the Emergency Medical Center,” she said.

The sign in downtown Greenville will be painted by Joseph McCowan, a local artist who has, among other works, painted murals inside many area churches. His piece will cover both sides of the old, decaying sign at the intersection of Washington and Stuart streets in central Greenville near the farmers’ market.  His theme for the artwork is inspired by nature and togetherness, combining whimsical birds, flowers and multicultural human figures reaching toward the sun.  “I’m proud of what’s happening in Greenville and look forward to making our downtown even more beautiful,” said McCowan, who is also director of the Brigham Museum in Greenville.

Derek Price, one of the founders of Hunt County Public Art, said there are several ways people can help bring these projects to fruition.  “One, we’d love to see you at the gala on Feb. 11,” he said. “Two, we are looking for donations and original works of art from artists and creative individuals we can auction off to raise money. And three, we’ve got sponsorship opportunities for businesses that want to help.”

Kim Coker, the gala chairperson for 2017, said this year’s event will be fun and inspiring. This year’s theme is “pARTyof the Senses.”  “There’s so much to do at Hearts for theArts,” she said. “There will be auction items to browse and buy, wine and beer, hors d'oeuvres, and artists creating different types of artwork in person.  We’ll be having a blast and beautifying our community at the same time.”

For online tickets or more information, visit HuntCountyPublicArt.com, visit our Facebook page at Hunt County PublicArt, or contact Taylor at 903-456-5518 or Coker at 903-450-5254.