The Children’s Museum of the Upstate’s theater is getting an almost 360-degree upgrade with help from muralist Adam Schrimmer. The artist’s “Rooftop Dreams” mural will bring an immersive element to the multi-purpose room, according to museum administrators.
Schrimmer, owner and lead artist at Greenville’s Blank Canvas Mural Company, is completing the 1,050-square-foot mural as part of several renovation projects at the museum.
“As a young parent, I spend a lot of time reading with my kids,” Schrimmer said. “A lot of imagination takes place with reading, and because this is going to be a place where a lot of story time is happening, where programs are happening, like dance or acting programs, I thought that coming up with a painting that allowed kids to feel like they were either dreaming or imagining things was a good start.”
Museum administrators wanted the mural to cover as much of the space as possible, including the floor.
“We wanted the kids to be able to imagine themselves in the life of the story,” said museum program manager Javy Pagan.
Schrimmer came up with an idea to paint the floor like a roof and for those on the “roof” to be peering out onto the Greenville skyline. The clouds on the walls have hidden images that add to the mural’s immersive quality.
He says he’s always liked to draw big, but he didn’t know where it would take him him. Moving to Greenville from Miami, he realized that he could make a living while painting murals.
Schrimmer’s murals are found across the country from Facebook offices in North Carolina to places like Greenville’s Ally Coffee and Fluor Field.
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Pagan said the museum is undergoing several other updates. Some will be completed in time for the museum’s summer programs which will even feature Schrimmer teaching art.
“I think more than ever, the museum realizes the importance of our members and our community. We are nothing if they aren’t here in these doors, so all of these updates and renovations that we’re making are done with them in mind,” Pagan said.
You can visit the Children’s Museum of the Upstate at 300 College Street, Greenville.
