SWU News:

August 19, 2004

Wal-Mart mural shows heart of SWU

Artist Vivian Edwards and Wal-Mart Manager Gene Jacobs pause in front of Southern Wesleyan University’s mural at the new Wal-Mart in Central.

Statues and structures blend together in a heavenly collage of historic and religious landmarks from Southern Wesleyan University.

This scene is not found on display in an art gallery, but above the main entrance to Central’s new Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart Manager Gene Jacobs approached Southern Wesleyan University about doing a mural featuring the school as a way of melding the store with the community, he said. Wal-Mart provided the materials for the Southern Wesleyan University mural. The store also commissioned another mural for its grocery entrance.

“I was just trying to come up with something to reflect our community,” Jacobs said. “We are here for the community. We’re here to serve them. This store is just as much theirs as it is ours.

“I would like for people to be able to see the murals and reflect on what our community is about. I’d like them to represent all of us.”

Dr. David Spittal, Southern Wesleyan University president, said he is grateful to Wal-Mart for the artistic opportunity.

“The university is thrilled to have the opportunity to present itself and the local community through this mural,” Spittal said. “We appreciate the desire on the part of the Wal-Mart organization to build relationships with the university and its surrounding community. The mural depicting the university and its community will be a great first step to a long-term relationship.”

Vivian Edwards, a professional artist from Walhalla, is the brains behind the brushwork of Southern Wesleyan University’s mural. She grew up roaming Upstate land on horseback and has been creating art for as long as she can remember, Edwards said. She is a juried artist through the S.C. Artists Center.

“I try to do a lot of Upstate subjects,” she said. Edwards has work on display in several locations on South Carolina’s Heritage Corridor, in the state’s welcome centers and also in the White House.

Edwards designed the 18-foot-tall mural on a smaller scale, then transferred it to the wall using a grid system. She used photographs of individual components of the mural as guidelines as she fit them into her patchwork of images.

“I work a lot from photography and use things that tell a story or send a message,” Edwards said.

The message she wants people to see in her mural is centered on Christ, she said.

“It’s a message of hope -- that everyone can feel hope if they look in the right places,” Edwards said. “If anyone questions their purpose in life, they can find the answers at Southern Wesleyan University or any other Christ-filled place.

“Christians have been silent way too long. We need to stand up for what we believe,” she said. “I’m not a big public speaker, but I use my brush to say how I feel and what I think.”

Edwards commends Wal-Mart for initiating the project and accommodating her during her work there.

“The people at Wal-Mart have been very, very good to me,” she said. “They’ve made sure I have everything I need.”

The muralist had to use a scissor lift, a mechanical platform lift, to raise herself into the air and work on the mural. The height of the mural and the heat at that elevation have been Edwards’ biggest challenges, she said.

“You’ve got to really want to be up there,” she said.

Southern Wesleyan University student Matthew Bentley of Hickory, N.C., was involved in the initial planning for the university’s mural and helped fill in some of the mural under Edwards’ direction. He is a recreation and computer networking major.

“I wanted to express a Christian view of our campus,” Bentley said. “Our statue, ‘Intercession,’ represents our foundation. We should lift that up as our role model – to live as Jesus did.”

Bentley, who works with landscaping on the campus, appreciates the natural beauty at Southern Wesleyan University.

“The beauty and community of our campus are so important. We all lean on one another,” he said.

Brandon Wood, a Wal-Mart employee and Clemson student, is the artist who has painted the Clemson area mural at the grocery entrance of the store. His mural includes an international potpourri of faces, as well as scenes from the town of Clemson and surrounding areas.

“My mural’s about diversity in the community,” Wood said. “It shows how diverse and unique the Central and Clemson areas are. That’s unique for such a small area.”

“We want people to let us know what the community needs,” so that Wal-Mart and its employees can participate in community projects, Jacobs said.

The grand opening ceremony for the new Wal-Mart will be Aug. 25 at 7:30 a.m. The store is located on S.C. Hwy. 123 at Road 18.