CAMP: Community Arts Mural Project, Mt. Carmel Society Kids Day

CAMP: Community Arts Mural Project

Mt. Carmel Society's Kids' Day

Hi, I'm Gail Giunta, a native New Yorker, city-girl, after returning from living in the desert of Phoenix, Arizona, for 7 years, I moved to the Hudson Valley of NY for the first time and was so inspired by the beauty of the Hudson River and all the beautiful little towns along the river. I decided to connect with the local surrounding communities by founding a new creative endeavor for some Summer fun! Therefore, one lazy June day, I dreamed up "CAMP: Community Arts Mural Project." I never created a mural in my life; however, I had new-found ambition to get to know the local communities I was now living amongst. Through a friend, I met Kacey Morabito, who not only runs the Mt. Carmel Society's Food Pantry; and the Feast of Mt. Carmel, but is also a famous radio personality at 100.7 WHUD. Kacey also runs the Shine On podcast Sunday mornings on WHUD (visit Kacey to learn more) amongst other wonderful programs in the quaint town of Verplanck and beyond!

Completed Mural

The concept of CAMP is to bring people together by working on painting a mural that represents something about a specific community. For the Mt. Carmel Society's Kids' Day, I came up with the idea of creating a spin-off of Gustav Klimt's Tree of Life (Klimt's Tree of Life). I chose the Tree of Life for Kids' Day because a tree represents a life giving, nurturing force of nature, which children can take shelter and grow under its care. Trees give us so much: oxygen to breathe; food to eat; shelter; and roots that grow deep and are sturdy. These concepts are similar to what I learned Mt. Carmel Society provides to its members, community and the public.  

CAMP at Mt. Carmel! (Mt. Carmel Society's First Kids' Day, June 2019) We not only had 2 art tables for the community to participate in: 1. A mural painting; and 2. A Free Arts table; but in addition, CAMP facilitated a Community Drum Circle! According to what the community had to share, for many in this small town, it was their first experience of a drum circle! Children and their families painted and created; and drummed, alongside each other with community members, creating new friends and getting to know neighbors while building enriching relationships through artistic expression.

Mt. Carmel Society's Kids' Day, Tree of Life Mural

CAMP's Community Drum Circle

Drumming in community helps to promote community building, while fostering appreciating for self-expression! No musical instrument experience is necessary to drum, shake, rattle and roll in these circles! Music brings people together naturally. Drumming is known to be therapeutic with many healthy benefits such as reducing stress and anxiety as well as lifting up one's mood and energy (Drumming Benefits). Gail Giunta and Lynn Rocha, led community drum circles in Phoenix, Arizona with The Fusion Foundation. They brought their love of Drumming with groups to the small community of Verplanck, NY. 

For more information on CAMP: Community Mural Arts Project, for private bookings, or your organization's specific events or theme for an engaging group experience, Please contact Founder Gail Giunta at giunta.gail@gmail.com.