VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – August 19, 2021 – Lawson has partnered with Hope House Foundation and selected artist Marly McFly to collaborate on a mural at Seaside Harbor Apartments in Virginia Beach for the 2021 ViBe Mural Festival.
This year’s ViBe Mural Festival adds 10 new murals to the district’s impressive collection of public art projects, which are free and open to the public. An online map and mural guide is available to tour ViBe District art installations. “This community-building project is our largest and most popular event each year,” said Kate Pittman, Executive Director of the ViBe Creative District nonprofit. “Creative ventures like this elevate our great city and offer new opportunities for local businesses to grow or expand locally.”
Marly McFly, a Northern Virginia based artist with roots in Hampton Roads developed the pop and street art inspired mural design with large, bold patterns and blocks of color, and invites Seaside Harbor residents to participate in painting the piece.
Hope House Foundation Community Outreach and Legislative Liaison, Grey Persons said “We appreciate the opportunity for residents of Seaside, including people with developmental disabilities, to participate in this project. Seaside represents what’s possible in the creation of truly inclusive and accessible housing. This incredible project represents the opportunities and outcomes that occur when all people are invited to participate in inclusive and accessible communities.”
Seaside Harbor, a 100% affordable workforce housing community in the Virginia Beach resort area has been nationally recognized as an inclusive community and for unique partnerships with local nonprofits Hope House Foundation and Samaritan House. Twenty-five percent of the apartments at Seaside Harbor meet fully, permanently accessible unit requirements as set by the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standard (USAF) for disabled residents and 15 percent of the apartments are reserved for developmentally disabled residents capable of living independently. Hope House Foundation provides supportive services to Seaside Harbor residents with developmental disabilities.
“Participating in the mural festival with a public art piece supporting our partner, Hope House Foundation is a fun contribution to the ViBe community.”, said Lawson Director of Marketing, Dan Hankin. “We’re thrilled to be a part of it.”
The fourth annual ViBe Mural Festival features 10 new murals in 10 days from August 20-29.
About Lawson
At Lawson, we understand that what we do – and how we do it – affects the everyday lives of people we care about. Since 1972 we’ve focused on positively impacting the communities we serve, from team members and residents to investors and business partners. We manage and own nearly 6,000 apartment units and continue to grow with approximately 1,200 units in development. Our business model provides vertical integration of development, construction, property management and asset management, which enables our team of experts to add value at every stage for our partners. When you act with integrity, focus on quality and work to find creative solutions, great things are possible. It’s how we’ve done business at Lawson for over 45 years. For more information, please visit www.lawsoncompanies.com.
About Hope House Foundation
Since 1964, Hope House Foundation has worked on the frontlines of the battle for independence, community inclusion and true citizenship for people with developmental disabilities. The organization provides services for adults exclusively in their own homes or apartments. Currently, Hope House Foundations serve more than 125 people in Norfolk, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. Hope House is known as an innovator and leader in the field, and in 2008, it received the American Association for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities national award for full community inclusion. In 2012, it was named ANCOR Foundation’s Service Provider of the Year. For more information, visit www.hope-house.org.
About Marly McFly
Marly McFly is a self-taught artist working out of Northern Virginia. McFly draws influence from cartoons, comics, action figures, athletes, and pop art nostalgia. His work examines impacts of advertising and consumerism on contemporary society, expressed through bold colors and patterns. McFly’s work has been exhibited internationally including New York, Paris, and Tokyo. For more information, please visit www.marlymcfly.com.
About ViBe Creative District
The ViBe Creative District non-profit is a 501c3 that exists to promote, support, connect, and inspire the creative industries to boost our local economy, grow jobs, and enhance our quality of life. It works to create and revive economic vibrancy in our neighborhood with a remarkable local vibe. Additionally, ViBe strives to enhance a place of discovery for locals and visitors along with economic vitality to meet the City of Virginia Beach’s vision for a quality resort destination. For more information on please visit www.ViBeCreativeDistrict.org