City of Largo investing in public art with creative pedestrian crosswalk

LARGO, Fla. - The City of Largo sought after an artist to do a creative coloring of the pedestrian crosswalk on Central Park Drive.

The walkway had been decorated before, but wear-and-tear and exposure outdoors caused the colors to fade and the necessity for a re-do nudged the city to seek the aid of Creative Pinellas for a talented artist to give the mural a makeover.

Mayor Woody Brown recalled it this way, "When we can, we like to invest in public art to brighten up the place."

A "call for artists" put a submission from artist Emily Tayman in front of the decision makers.

Tayman was ready to meet the challenge.

Pictured: Emily Tayman

"It was really fun to design it," she admitted. "We chose the design of the sun because we're pretty much in the center of Largo. We have the performance arts center on one side and the library on the other. We're trying to shine the light onto both of these areas that are hubs of creativity and education."

That was very much what the mayor and his staff were looking for in the area.

"We're purposely trying to invest in some public art around our city, on our buildings, in the park," shared Mayor Brown.

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The challenge of painting on a street surface is the high traffic environment added to the brevity of exposure to the viewer.

Tayman solved that problem in the design phase.

"It's more of a modern abstract design," she stated. She used simple colors with high contrast to draw attention without being a distraction. "Having a bold bright design brought more vibrance to the area!"

The end result is on display 24/7 on Central Park Drive (3rd Street Southeast) between the public library and the performing arts center.

"As an artist, it's amazing to be supported by your local city," shared Tayman. "Public art is a huge way of beautifying your community."

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To learn more about the City of Largo and see photos of the mural creation in action, click here.

To learn more about Creative Pinellas and their opportunities for artists, click here.

To see more of Emily's work, click here.

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