Spreading the joy
Published 9:22 am Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Mural: A volunteer helps paint the new mural at the East Selma Pond. | Brent Maze, The Selma Times-Journal
Windows: Volunteers also paint murals for the Windows of Hope project. | Brent Maze, The Selma Times-Journal
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Community event brings new mural to East Selma Pond
The community brought joy to brighten up one of Selma’s newly renovated parks on Sunday.
“Joy Fest, It’s a Revolution of Joy” was held at the East Selma Fish Pond a day after it was originally scheduled on Saturday due to the weather.
However, Sunday’s conditions were near perfect for the community event, especially for the painting of a new mural at the pond, which also features a walking trail that surrounds it.
Helene Taylor, who helped organize the event, said the mural is called the “The Sharing Table” designed by artist Trés Taylor. This was the cornerstone activity for the Joy Fest.
“After attending the ribbon cutting at the newly renovated East Selma Fish Pond, we were inspired to continue the community effort in one of Selma’s most deserving neighborhoods,” Helene said. “The Fish Pond project was a big collaboration and so is the Joy Fest. Our community leaders came together offering what they could and together, it’s a Joy Fest.”
The event’s activities included community fish fry, yarn art installation, physical fitness with zumba and yoga, community walking, a DJ and painting of Windows of Hope. A quilting project was also conducted on Saturday.
The Windows of Hope is a campaign to take murals painted on Sunday and then nail them to boarded up windows to help improve the look of the community.
Helene said this mural is the last one of 12 that have been painted all around the Black Belt. The project was sponsored by Can’dAid. This is the fourth that has been painted in Selma.
Sponsors included Tre’s works on tarpaper, Blackbelt Benefit Group, Making Art Connections Across Selma, The March Quilts, Selma City Schools, Selma Center for Nonviolence Truth and Reconciliation, ArtsRevive, UAB’s Live HealthSmart Alabama, Alabama Community Engagement Alliance.
Helene said they had a wide variety of volunteers that came out to paint the mural. They provided all of the paint and paintbrushes.
“It has been a great day out here,” Helene said. “It’s just great to see the community come together for a project like this. We will continue community building through the arts with our nonprofit MACASelma.org.”
