Coalville Community Arts Day // Bringing Community Together Through Creative Expression

(Coalville, Utah) The Park City Summit County Arts Council (PCSC Arts), North Summit School District, and Summit County Health (“the Partners”) have joined forces to energize and activate mental health initiatives through community arts programming. The result is Coalville Community Arts Day, planned for May 11, 2019 from 10am to 2pm at North Summit Elementary School in Coalville, UT.

North Summit high school students, advised by North Summit High School Art Teacher Hannah Wilde, have designed a sidewalk mural around the themes of bringing people together, community empowerment, and wellness. The design will be outlined on a section of sidewalk in front of North Summit Elementary. On May 11th, the entire community (elementary, middle school and high school students, parents, grandparents, etc.) is encouraged to come out and help create this sidewalk mural together with the students who designed it.  The event will also include an additional creative activity making fence art with colored ribbon. Community members will be invited to write positive affirmations on the ribbon and tie them to the fence, as a reminder to be kind to one another. "I can think of no better way to bring a community together than to connect through creative play and the arts” states Heidi Robertson, North Summit Elementary School's BTSALP Visual Art Specialist. “Our children and neighbors will joyfully remember what they made together each time they pass over this stretch of sidewalk. The future of Coalville is indeed very promising."

The piece of art will become a semi-permanent creative asset for the City of Coalville, and a great way to get the community creating together and building connections surrounding mental wellness, and arts and culture. “The Arts Council is thrilled to partner with Summit County Health and North Summit School District on this creative, empowering project,” says Jocelyn Scudder, Managing Director of PCSC Arts Council. “Part of our goals as an organization is to connect arts and creative practice to daily life, nurturing creativity in everyone. We believe the arts bring joy. They bring people together and serve as a tool to help us achieve our local goals and priorities. The collaborative artwork created during Coalville Community Arts Day will communicate ideas of mental wellness in a positive, vibrant, and accessible way. We're so excited to see the final product, and we hope community members will join us."

The main goal of this event is to celebrate and raise awareness about Mental Health month, which is this May. The partners acknowledge that Mental Health is one of Summit County Council's top priorities. Alyssa Mitchell, Health Educator for the Summit County Health Department explains, “The goal for this project is to provide opportunities for prosocial involvement community wide, by creating an event to celebrate student creativity, family togetherness and positive mental health and wellbeing. Youth will be developing the art and will be able to see their mural come to life, fostering a sense of ownership and belonging in the community. Community members will be inspired to become engaged in their community and help their neighbors, friends and family.”

This free family friendly event will be held on Saturday, May 11 from 10am to 2pm and is open to all Summit

County residents. Food will be available for purchase by Denise’s Home Plate. If you are interested in volunteering for the event, contact amitchell@summitcounty.org or fill out our volunteer form here.