days to complete the mural . The collective got as much excitement as the community from the Rogers mural , Iverson said .
“ When you ’ re painting , you are 12 inches away from the wall . You are seeing a red space right next to a white space or a yellow space or whatever the case may be ,” she explained .
“ We ’ d been working maybe four or five days on the painting part of the mural and we all went to lunch ,” she continued . “ When we came back over the 18th Avenue Bridge , we looked down the street at that Jimmie Rodgers mural and we all went ‘ Wow ’ because we really hadn ’ t seen it from where the community sees it .”
The collective has several projects planned for 2023 but are awaiting finalized artwork , city approval and commitments from the businesses before moving forward .
Iverson said one of those projects involves murals at Meridian Aviation at Key Field .
“ We are doing a mural on the front facing Highway 11 and then we will have one facing the runway ,” she said .
They also have a commemorative piece planned for the Meridian Police Department and two carousel horses to paint .
Their mission to turn Meridian into an outdoor art gallery makes the artists feel a part of something bigger than themselves , Iverson said .
“ All of us were brought up to put service before self ,” she said , noting their backgrounds in education and the military . “ I love that we have been able to carve out this little niche in Meridian to help enhance the community and , hopefully , influence the next generation to do the same .”
6 • MERIDIAN LIFE