Harlan Kirgan
As walls in Eunice go, the one on the southwest corner of the building at Walnut and 2nd streets is pretty much not unique.
It’s dirty, chalky whitish with holes in it. The brick emerges through the paint in many places. There are rusty-looking vents and a door at one end.
And the top of the wall is jagged.
There’s not much to be seen on that wall.
Eunice artist Hannah Gumbo, a nom de guerre, views the wall as her next canvas.
By October or November she plans to have a mural on the wall.
Gumbo is one of 10 artists awarded $5,000 grants in the ArtSpark program through the Acadiana Center for the Arts and Lafayette Economic Development Authority.
The program is to help artists expand their work.
Thursday morning, Gumbo stood in front of the wall and noted complexities in the project such as the vehicles parked facing her canvas-to-be.
“We may have to rope that area off,” she said.
“Yeah, it is a lot of crazy things to consider and the building is kind of jagged. It is not a straight line. The height is different at various places,” she said.
“I want to keep it really simple. I want to keep it bright, I want to spend my budget doing as much coats as possible so it can last a long time,” Gumbo said.
The wall is going to need a primer, possibly hole-plugging, paint, sealers and so on.
Gumbo said she is going to need an assistant, a lift and a design.
And, she cannot pay herself with the grant.
Gumbo said she is excited about the opportunity the grant poses for her as an artist.
One of her first jobs is to arrange to speak to students in Eunice and she would like teachers to contact her at 337-412-9420 if they want their classes involved.
Her presentation will include what she does as an artist and asking students about how they view themselves as citizens of Eunice and Louisiana.
During the summer she expects to work on the design and by September be working on the wall.
“I really love this wall specifically because it is a one-way street and it is the first thing you see before you go to the Liberty. It is kind of an entry point,” she said.
Gumbo is not ready to detail what will go up on the wall, but she said, “My style is really fun, whimsical, super bright, and that is for sure it is going to be that no matter what.”