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COCA Spotlight: ArtBridge aims to span cultural divides with color, collaboration

Lisa Girard has the best waterfront view in all of Tallahassee. She painted it herself. During lockdown, the ArtBridge Tallahassee director turned the walls in her home into a giant canvas, dabbling in geometric designs…

Lisa Girard has the best waterfront view in all of Tallahassee. She painted it herself. During lockdown, the ArtBridge Tallahassee director turned the walls in her home into a giant canvas, dabbling in geometric designs and mixing colors to find the perfect shades for her beach scene. 

“If you’re stuck inside and have creative energy, you have to get it out,” says Girard. 

Girard channels her creativity into multifaceted events that aim to bridge communities together. She was inspired to establish a program that would involve Florida A&M University and Florida State University art students dreaming up and painting murals for local public schools. 

Girard established ArtBridge in 2018. She worked to present her ideas to the colleges’ art departments and drummed up support from students across both campuses. When they were ready to launch their first mural painting project, COVID-19 altered their plans. 

Now, Girard is focusing on fundraising for the project so that students can get paid for their work and they will be able to purchase adequate supplies for when it’s safe to start projects back up. The first fundraiser, “Rockin’ Santa on a Harley,” is Sunday, Dec. 6, in partnership with the Harley Davidson Dealership.

“I’m excited to be at an outdoor event,” says Girard. “I think the whole community misses that. I am also looking forward to hearing feedback from the community and talking about our program.”

Read the rest of the story by visiting the Tallahassee Democrat

or read more by downloading the article here.