Spartanburg SC is a Cultural District, and its artistic talent is displayed in the public art that is almost everywhere as one walks around. Stylishness has been added to the city by the eye-catching murals, Carvings, Sculptures et cetera. Downtown Spartanburg has incorporated the influence of murals to convey color to a now lively city. Among Spartanburg’s numerous murals, the Love Where You Live mural has become extremely popular for Family pictures, Senior Pictures, or just friends.
The Love Where You Live mural painting is on the wall of businessman John Bauknight’s 100 years old building, across the Daniel Morgan Clock Tower, at the junction of West Main and Spring Streets. It highlights the vital aspects of Spartanburg’s identity like its nickname ‘Sparkle City’, its area code ‘864’ and its founding year ’1831’. At a glance, the ‘Love Where You Live’ words are very noticeable.
HUB-BUB is an artist-in-residence program hosted by Chapman Cultural Center. It is the starting point of the Love Where You Live mural. The mural was organized by HUB-BUB’s Love Where You Live campaign. The campaign, which was part of the ‘Buy Local Campaign’, was to inform the people that staying in Spartanburg is Cool. Spartanburg’s local businesses financed the creation of the mural, which was Stephen Long’s innovation. The mural was a way to integrate the mission of ‘Love where You Live’, intended to have a lifelong impression. It was painted in 2014 by Stephen Long, Jeremy Kemp, Lily Knights, Rusell Bannan, Elli Blasko, and Aimee Wise.
As it is exposed to the weather and elements, the mural’s color was beginning to peel off. Stephen Long and Jeremy Kemp repainted the mural in 2019 in readiness for the Spring Fling. They wanted the mural to be in pristine condition for the traffic expected in downtown during the upcoming Spring Fling. The City, the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s One Spartanburg Initiative, Cribbs Kitchen, Southeastern Printing and several individual donors financed the repainting.
The mural shares cultural information with the people about the city of Spartanburg. It also is a reminder of Spartanburg’s rejuvenation, as it is currently experiencing a renaissance and growth. It is also a popular downtown meeting place. And several events have been held at the site. One such event was the 5th June 2020 meeting, where the community members came together to raise their voice against social injustice in their community and the nation at large. It is considered a great photo spot with the photos taken circulated on social media platforms.
True to the Love Where You Live mural, people of Spartanburg have a reason to love where they live. The many family-friendly events, the emerging art scene, the humid subtropical climate and its strategic location, among others, are wonderful reasons for the people of Spartanburg to love where they live.
