EVANSVILLE, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OneMain Financial announced today that it will be hosting a “Made on Main Street” event on Saturday, April 21, 2018 in Goldsboro, North Carolina. “Made on Main Street,” a partnership between OneMain Financial and Main Street America, provides Community Action Grants for innovative community transformation projects across the country. Six additional $25,000 grants will be awarded throughout 2018. This event is the kick-off for the first “Made on Main Street” grant, which was awarded to the city of Goldsboro for a downtown beautification project involving six crosswalks and two wall murals.
“We were thrilled to award this first grant to a community who shares our vision that individuals thrive when their communities thrive,” said OneMain Financial CMO Kim Wijkstrom. “At OneMain Financial we’re committed to helping revitalize communities. These murals, and the talented artists who have shared their creative visions, bring a renewed energy and excitement to the Goldsboro downtown area. We hope that this event will inspire the community and be a great time for everyone.”
The free, family event will feature live music, complimentary food, games, crafts, and artisan vendors. During the event, spectators will have the unique experience of being able to watch six dynamic crosswalk murals and one wall mural come to life in downtown Goldsboro. Artists for the crosswalk murals include Cornelius Baker, Britt Flood, Maximillian Mozingo, Scott Partridge, Eric Schreffler, and a team from The Arts Council of Wayne County.
Anna Haijar, a local teacher and arts advocate, will be painting an American flag mural representing the significance of the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. “The United States is the home of the brave, and the home of the brave in Goldsboro is the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base,” said Haijar. ”In my mural, the flag’s white stripes transform into the contrails of Seymour Johnson’s F-15 fighter jet, which is being led by a KC-135 Stratotanker.”
The design of the eighth and most visible mural, which is approximately 100 square feet in total size, will be chosen with input from the community and announced at the event. The winning artist(s) will be tasked with creating a mural to celebrate and honor the community members who contributed, directly or indirectly, to the music movement that spurred the development of the African American Music Trail.
The City of Goldsboro’s Downtown Development Office is leading the artist selection process and has narrowed down the artists’ submissions to the following finalists: Jason Clark, Eric Schreffler and a 3-person team composed of Maximillian Mozingo, Jamil Burton, and Brandon McCullar.
Each of the finalists offers a unique talent and point of view. Jason Clark has a passion for painting murals and has already painted three murals throughout the city of Goldsboro using very distinct styles of painting. Clark’s passion for creating murals is rooted in his belief that the pieces are enjoyed by the community as a whole, regardless of creed, race, religion, or socio-economic class. Eric Schreffler is an award-winning artist who works primarily on acrylic abstracts. Schreffler has a unique ability to fuse music into his art. His works are created using several different medias including airbrushing, stenciling, collage, and music. The third finalist is the team of Maximillian Mozingo, a painter and muralist; Jamil Burton, a painter and illustrator; and Brandon McCullar, a metal artist. Their work is bright, eye-catching and very contemporary, representing a unique depth and diversity. If selected, they plan to create an interactive 3-D mural that is modern, colorful and magnetic.
Community members who would like to participate in the final selection can view the proposed designs and offer their input on the Downtown Goldsboro Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/downtowngoldsboro/. After receiving public input, the selected design will be announced during Saturday’s event, which will be held at the intersection of Walnut and John Street from 2pm – 6pm. The event is free and all community members are invited to attend. For more information, please visit: https://www.OMFMainStreet.com.
About OneMain Financial
OneMain Financial (NYSE:OMF) has been offering responsible and transparent loans for over 100 years. With more than 1,600 locations throughout 44 states, the company is committed to helping people with their financial needs. OneMain and their 10,000 team members are dedicated to the communities where they live and work. For additional information, please visit OneMainFinancial.com.
About the National Main Street Center
The National Main Street Center has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years. Today, its Main Street America network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. The organization is a non-profit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
