Awakenings

2014 300 sq ft mural

Site: H*Art Gallery of Tennessee (110 East Main Street)

Artists: CADAS’ Scholze Center teens in treatment for alcohol and drug abuse, in collaboration with professional artists Frances McDonald and Judy Mogul

Partners: CADAS (Council for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services) and H*Art Gallery of Tennessee

Description: Another mural of the Painted Garden series inspired by the work of the late Dennis Palmer, Awakenings was created by teens from CADAS to beautify the H*Art Gallery in the Southside neighborhood of Chattanooga. Mark Making challenged the teens to step out of their comfort zone to create drawings of plants built out of patterns. Drawings were incorporated into a collage which was enlarged. The teens painted by parachute cloth sections which were later adhered to the building. The mural stands as a memorial to Dennis Palmer, a testimony to the teens’ courage to create a new life, and as a message of hope to others affected by substance abuse.