Today we’d like to introduce you to Melt Charleston Mural Festival
Hi MELT Charleston, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
This festival was founded by GWP Murals and SEVEN Designs from the void of not having a celebration of public art in Charleston particularly for murals. The goal is to celebrate and promote the tradition of street art, and highlighting the city’s vibrant heritage. We also will provide a platform for the local community to share their businesses in our block party style of vendor setups.
Murals are not merely paintings on walls, and MELT is not only about murals. Public Art is a powerful and immediate way to share inspiration and vision, and to experience, promote, and enrich a community in a way not otherwise possible. With MELT, we aim to create a space to highlight what Public Art embodies at it’s core: People, Story, Place, and Vision.
On the surface the impact of Murals and Public Art might seem negligible, but collectively we often forget the need we have in our everyday lives to create intentional, aesthetic, and uplifting spaces for ourselves. A little effort goes a long way towards building a better place to live for us all. Often the first step towards motivating positive change is just a little visibility.
Everybody does better when we’re having a good time and enjoying ourselves! Bringing people together doesn’t have to be about grand missions, ideals, or political leanings. At the end of the day, we all fundamentally want the same things – and if we can have fun together, we will be better equipped to work together, and will want to do so more often.
While it is our aim to promote Public Art and the people who create it, we are also interested and want to use this opportunity to highlight the other Artisans, Creators, Entrepreneurs involved in the creative community here in Charleston.
Much of the experience of a place lies in it’s history. The individual and shared stories of it’s inhabitants matter – that means the good, bad, ugly, and beautiful. However, Tradition isn’t only history, it is a living thing – it’s how we connect to our Past, while acting in the Present, and thinking towards the Future to build and grow a better world for all of us. With MELT, we aim to to highlight the Traditions of where we create, as well as how we create.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We both are juggling our own businesses while also trying to navigate all of the logistics and planning that goes into building a brand new festival. We have never done this before so we are constantly learning and evolving along the way. Patience and support is all we ask for as we build this new creation that is 100% for artists by artists. Communication and flexibility has been the strongest tools in this whole process.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about SEVEN Designs & GWP Murals?
Connor Lock
Founder of SEVEN Designs / Co-founder of MELT Charleston
Landing in Charleston in 2007, Connor Lock, a seasoned traveler with a background in art and design, founded SEVEN Designs, a creative solutions company. Beyond graphic design, SEVEN offers services like large-scale murals, installation art, event design and brand identity.
Lock also initiated STAAHJ, a culinary adventure that has taken him around the world to learn from unique cultures/individuals. He offers in-home cooking tutorials for select clients and also creates pop-up cooking events to showcase his signature dishes inspired by his world traveling.
He engages with local schools, universities, and conferences, inspiring people to turn passions into careers. Interested in creative solutions and fun events? Give Connor a call.
Allison Dunavant + Christine Crawford
Co-owners of Girls Who Paint Murals / Co-founder of MELT
GWP Murals is a female owned + operated, Charleston SC based mural company. We provide murals to both commercial and residential clients regionally and nationwide, working in a wide variety of subject matters and styles.
We are passionate about educating the public to inform their interaction with both murals and muralists. This is because we truly believe in murals and their unique ability to create positive impacts within the community.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Research, talk to people in the industry who have done it, talk with people out side of the industry to get a wide range of insights then mold and shape a game plan that you feel will start you off on the right foot. Also be ready to shift your weight to another foot if that one becomes unstable or is leading you in the wrong direction. You gotta be flexible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.meltcharleston.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meltcharleston/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569844017261
