Mero Mural | A Community That Paints Together, Stays Together
The first day of the month of July proved to be a productive one for the WAA family. Sand, sun, tangents of sea breeze, and the bustling spirit of community. Creativity oozed from every ounce of paint, every brush stroke, every bell of laughter. Funded by the Ministry of Tourism, the Mural on Mero Beach was started on the 14th of July, 2023. With the project nearing an end, WAA thought it an ingenious idea to invite the community to help paint the beautiful mural.
The Mero Village Council reached out to WAA on revamping the mural done by the late Earl Etienne. They discussed that the mural shouldn’t be done in a typical fashion, they wanted it to stand out, to have motion, and a memorable impression. So, with its multitude of creative minds, the team began to draft ideas.
The Western side of the Mural
A beach is simply not just a beach, but a cumulation of memories.
The Western side of the mural, facing the beach, depicts memories in the form of instant photos. Each one uniquely captures the essence of a core memory made on the beach. What makes this even more distinctive is that, some people reached out with ideas inspired by their own memories of Mero Beach. The collage, decked in memories from the water and sunset to a cool Kubuli enjoyed to the fullest on the warm shore.
Eastern portion of mural
The Eastern side pays tribute to the community of Mero itself. The scenic beach is depicted with many people, children, adults, tourists and all enjoying all that some fun under the sun has to offer. Artists working on this mural have even said that some of the figures shown in this portion are based on people in the community.
“On the Edge of the Beach” A piece led by Ray Francis, pays homage to the humble fishing roots of the village on the Southern Side of the mural. It is a reminder that the community of Mero has since grown and become not just a fishing community, but an excitable avenue of enjoyment by locals and visitors alike.
“On the Edge of the Beach"
Northern portion of mural
To the North, the mural depicts a couple enjoying the rich experience of a magnificent sunset. The concept was developed by Jerrel Joseph. It presents the romantic aspects that Mero has to offer. Watching a sunset with not just a significant other, but family or friends can be one of the most intimate moments in one’s life.
The mural has given WAA a further outreach. And by inviting the community to be a part of this process, it showed them just how much effort and work it takes to put into a mural. In hopes to inspire, children, adults and tourists visited and took their hand at painting.
“All of them said the same thing ‘I’m not really an artist.’, but when I saw them starting to put their brushes down (on the mural), you could tell they knew exactly what they were doing”- Jenae Bell.
The event was led by Jenae Bell, along with her team consisting of other WAA executives; Edward Collins (PRO) and Ray Francis, who devised creative plans for engaging the community on the mural.
“You do the art, but nobody really knows who does it.” Jenae thanked Zahrek Gonzalez-Peltier, who brought along the QR code social media handles for the various artists who worked on the mural. It was an important part of the project as it really highlighted the efforts of the artists of WAA who stepped in and helped.
Special thanks to the Ministry of Tourism for making the mural possible, and the community of Mero for their continued support, encouragement, and turnout. And Heartfelt appreciation to the WAA family for coming forth and making beautiful memories together while sharing their love for art and innovation.
The mural is expected to be finished by the 5th of July. Hop on down to Mero, where the sand is warm and the memories, warmer. The mural awaits your eyes in its full glory.
