We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gina Franco a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Gina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
In 2018 I started a rotating mural project based in Greensboro North Carolina. I was driving downtown one day and saw a wall in a vacant lot on David st and I had an idea. I approached the property owner and told him my idea was to paint a mural every month on the wall. I started the project with the goal of transforming the walls into a photo destination wall. Every month the theme of the murals would change, creating an outdoor interactive public experience. Using my own money, I completed 14 different murals over 2 years and it was a huge success. I was able to turn the wall into a place that people would come and interact with my work. I was so amazed in the turnouts and how popular it became. My favorite part about the project was watching people from all ages and backgrounds stopping to take photos with the wall. This project has made me realize how much public art connects people of all different backgrounds and generations and encourages community, play, and imagination.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
In my recent work I have become interested in the way individuals experience a space in their community. My work is heavily influenced by community interaction and it is often used as an engagement technique. I really get excited about projects that will engage conversations about social issues and also promote the benefit of the arts throughout the community I am working in. The art I create is typically theme-based and varies from project to project. It is important to me that the art is relevant and responsive to the site and the community it will serve.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Being a single parent with a full-time job I was wondering how I will do it all. This feeling was familiar. I can remember the day I graduated from Guilford College in 2011. I majored in Business management because that was the practical thing to do. During my studies I took a 2-d class and a painting class. I enjoyed them way too much. I decided to only minor in painting, because everyone knows you can’t make a living doing art. My last day at Guilford College I threw away all my art supplies. It was fun while it lasted, but it was time to find a real job! I reconnected with art in 2014 when I painted a mural at the school I was working in. It was a big hit. I considered painting more as a hustle at first. I was good at it and once I saw the positive response I figured it was a good way to make some extra money. I did small commission pieces on the weekends and bigger mural projects on my summer breaks. In May of 2016 my mother died of Lung cancer. As a response to her death, I did a series of cigarette butt murals titled “Life’s a Drag”. I felt I was using art to honor her, and I didn’t really think about the impact it would have on anyone else, but it did. During this time, I had a great number of people reach out to me and thank me for what I was doing. They too had loved ones who died of lung cancer and they really connected to my work. I knew from that moment that I wanted to do art with purpose. Since then, my momentum has picked up tremendously. I am almost always in production mode, using any free time making art or writing proposals.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
There are times when my creative journey gets lost in the “business” or “making money” side of things but overall the biggest drive has been putting my work in front of as many people as possible.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Ginaelizabethfranco