AMPLIFY

Rest and Rise by Atlanta artist Manty Dey was chosen as the fifth annual AMPLIFY mural. This mural takes inspiration from cyclamen flowers, which bloom during the winter months after resting during the summer, serving as a reminder of what Manty calls “the delightful moments that await in the next season.”

Manty Dey is an Atlanta-based visual artist with a BFA in painting and drawing from georgia State University and an MFA from the University of Georgia. She has displayed work across the southeast – including at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, the Georgia Museum of Art, the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences, and MINT Gallery – and has been awarded residencies at Vermont Studio Center and the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences.

Big Hug by Charity Hamidullah, chosen as the fourth annual AMPLIFY mural, is meant to remind viewers that they are not alone and inspire acts of kindness. By painting people in different vibrant colors, the artist conveys an image of diverse individuals with different life experiences finding connection and helping one another.

Charity Hamidullah is an Atlanta-based artist whose murals and public art projects can be seen across the city. She has participated in collaborations with organizations like Microsoft, Target, and the City of Atlanta and in 2024 was named “One to Watch” by ArtsATL.

Forest for the Trees by Alice Stone Collins, chosen as the third annual AMPLIFY mural, aims to spark reflection amongst viewers about environmental protection and preservation.

“While the sunset and brightly colored trees draw you in, they also reflect a synthetic world of our own making that puts in danger the one we know. Unless we are willing to pivot and see the world anew, we will be separated from the natural world that surrounds us,” she wrote.

Alice Stone Collins earned her Bachelor’s of Fine Art from the University of Georgia and her Master’s of Fine Art from the University of Tennessee. Her work has been exhibited across the United States — from Wyoming to New Mexico to Georgia and beyond — and she currently teaches art as an assistant professor at Georgia Gwinnet College.

Together We Bloom by artist Alea Hurst was the second annual AMPLIFY mural. According to Hurst, “The two figures are personifications of nature and mother earth, blowing color and life out into the world [and] bringing us joy and rebirth. The flowers each have their own symbolism and meaning…. Lilies often represent rebirth and purity, but orange lilies specifically mean confidence and pride. Yellow daisies represent happiness and pride. Pink roses often mean gratitude, grace, and joy. The lotus flower in each the figures’ hands is another representation of rebirth, as well as, purity, enlightenment, and regeneration. The lotus petals blown from each of the figures coalesce in the center of the image to signify unity. I feel that these flowers combine to create a sense of pride and unity in our community.”

Atlanta-based artist Alea Hurst received her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Painting and her Bachelor’s of Business Administration from the University of Georgia and her Master of Fine Arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design. She has exhibited work nationally and internationally — including at ABV Gallery, Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, and Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.

Find Your Wings by artist Christopher Michaels was the first mural ever to win Spruill’s now-annual AMPLIFY contest. According to Michaels, who lives in Dunwoody alongside his family, Find Your Wings uses lemons and butterflies to represent a transition from difficult to joyous times. “The Southern saying ‘when life gives you lemons’ is an idiom for hard times and misfortune, and butterflies have always been symbolic of metamorphosis and beauty,” he wrote.

The symbols utilized in Find Your Wings also represent the healing journey of Michaels’ wife Amanda, who was struck by a car in April 2019 after attending Dunwoody’s Lemonade Days festival and, several months later, proceeded to take her first steps since the accident at the Dunwoody Nature Center’s annual Butterfly Festival.

Christopher Michaels holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Art in Studio Design from the University of Georgia and, outside of his professional art, has experience working in special effects, graphic design, and web design.