ASHTABULA — Main Avenue came alive on Saturday with a colorful mural painting party. Tessa LeBaron spearheaded the event, inviting the public to contribute. From 11 a.
m.-3 p.m.
, the alleyway between 4619 and 4633 Main Ave. buzzed with excitement as families, friends, creatives and community leaders came together to join in on the fun. LeBaron set up the project like a giant coloring book, providing guidance for everyone involved.
Participants were encouraged to paint designated areas with specific colors that were already marked. LeBaron said everyone had a lot of fun with the project. “The painting process is coming natural to them,” she said.
LeBaron received help from the Ashtabula Arts Center, which helped her secure grant funding from the Ohio Arts Council. “We started doing public murals in 2017,” said Meeghan Humphrey, Ashtabula Arts Center executive director. “When Tessa came to us in January .
.. seeing that she wanting to do this big mural to give back to Ashtabula .
.. my first response was that it’s a great idea.
I wanted to make sure there was community involvement.” LeBaron said it’s rare to have an interactive mural project where the community can participate. “One of the goals with the Arts Center and I was to have community engagement, to have people feel like they’re a part of something that we’re all creating down here,” LeBaron said.
Humphrey said murals transform neighborhoods. “This alley is going to be safer, cleaner and people.