COLQUITT, Ga. (WTXL) - One small Georgia town is now using solar power to better tell its story.
Driving through Colquitt, you'll see why it's known as Georgia's "Mural City".
Visitors, and residents alike, can admire the 16 different murals painted on buildings all throughout town.
"It started back in 1999 as a Millennium Grant through the National Endowment for the arts. There was one given to every state," said Kate Cook, Managing Director for Colquitt Miller Arts Council. "We applied, and we won for the state of Georgia, so we started with the Peace Wall."
Since then, the Millennium Mural Project has grown, with a handful of guided tours, allowing visitors to hear each story behind the art.
"We're very limited on the times that we can do the mural tours, and we have a lot of people come through. They see the murals, and they want to know the stories behind them," said Cook. "All of our murals tell a story or represent the community in some way."
With the help of a grant from the Georgia Department of Development, the Colquitt Miller Arts Council was able to install solar-powered Mural Boxes as a way to tell the many stories.
"They put in the solar boxes to direct people a little bit easier because there's never always someone here that can take people around the city or explain the murals to them," said Michael Tyronn Roberts, Miller County resident. "Every now and then, you got people driving people around, coming through with the tourists, but other than that, it's best for people to look into it themselves."
Roberts enjoys looking at the murals painted through town, and feels they are welcoming to newcomers.
"The murals make the city grow a little more, the tourist pick-up from several different states. You know what I'm sayin'? It's just like an open door of opportunity, you know, for more artists to paint more murals," said Roberts.
Since the new "Mural Boxes" are solar-powered, they charge during the day, and continue working through the night, so visitors can visit each mural whenever they want.
