When Fayette County leaders wanted to get their Public Art Committee organized and see some key projects get off the ground, they looked for someone with the skills and experience to do that.
They found her right up the road and at no cost to the county.
Shanequa Gay of Riverdale has put her considerable artistic talents to use since she began her internship with the county at the beginning of August. Her first two completed projects were large reproductions of historical photos and additional artwork in the customer service desk area of the county’s Finance Department, and the redesign of the property tax collection box (formerly referred to as the “ugly red box”) outside the Tax Commissioner’s office.
In addition to organizing the new Public Art Committee, she set up the call for artists for its first major project, a mural that will be produced on a large wall at the Fayette County Water System facility in Peachtree City. An artist for that project was chosen and approved by the Board of Commissioners at its Oct. 23 meeting.
Another call for artists is forthcoming for a project involving the fountain at Heritage Park.
Gay graduated from Riverdale High School in 1995 and after training as a graphic artist, she worked for a number of years at an Atlanta nonprofit. She returned to school, enrolling at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) to make a more serious pursuit of her love of painting.
That avenue has already paid off nicely for her, as she has developed a reputation in the Atlanta area for her work. A few weeks ago she was featured on an Atlanta television news program that showed some of her artwork that was used in the motion picture “Addicted,” which was filmed locally. The interviewer on the program praised her work depicting family, the black experience and life in the South.
In May of 2013 she was selected to prepare an illustration of the White House for the annual First Lady’s Luncheon, at which time she was able to present her original painting personally to First Lady Michelle Obama.
“She is dynamic,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Steve Brown. “She has worked on several projects for us and made them all better.”
As Gay presented the details of the Water System mural project at the recent commission meeting, Brown praised her publicly for her work and said he would be sad to see her go.
Her tenure with the county is done at the end of October, after which she departs for Japan where she has been awarded a fellowship to continue her studies.
