ST. MARTIN PARISH — For over 20 years, residents of Breaux Bridge have used the wall located at the intersection of Reese and Bridge Street to share everything from positive messages to birthday wishes. After nearly two years of dedicated work, a project to transform those heartfelt expressions into a mural has been completed.
Jessalyn Newton, the artist behind the mural explained that the mural is a symbol of community love, “This wall means love 100%. The reason I put ‘For the Love of Breaux Bridge’ at the top is because that’s exactly what it should be called it literally is the heart of Breaux Bridge,” Newton said.
Community members and local artists gathered Monday to celebrate the mural's completion, and Newton shared the inspiration behind the endeavor.
“I started talking to a few people around the city and said we really want to start painting murals and give back to beautify our community,” Newton explained.
Initially, the wall was covered with posters containing messages from local residents. However, Newton noted that the posters presented certain challenges, “The posters ended up falling off and going into the gutter and into the bayou, so we decided that we wanted to create a more permanent installation,” she said.
To bring her vision to life, Newton wrote a proposal for the Birthday Wall and submitted it to the Acadiana Center for the Arts. Earlier this year, she was awarded the Arts Spark Grant, which she says significantly contributed to the project's success, “The grant started writing itself; the community supported it so much that I almost didn’t have to do much. I just had to channel everyone’s love into this, and it just grew”.
Wendy Reaux, one of the artists who contributed to painting the mural, expressed her passion for the project and the deep connections she made with the community. “We loved reading all of them, but I loved painting them just as much. We even had someone come and want to sleep out here just to watch us paint”.
Sarah Melancon, another artist involved in the mural’s creation, shared how the experience had a lasting impact on her. “Now, when I pass by, because I painted some of these messages, I’m able to be touched by the stories behind the messages,” Melancon said.
Newton hopes the mural will continue to stand as a symbol of love and community for years to come, inspiring future generations.
