The VISTA's of the United Way of Southwest Georgia wanted to do something big for MLK Day 2012! We gave the children black/white construction paper and black/white charcoal; we then told them to write how they felt about Dr. King and what he did for this country. We also encouraged them to draw him.

We contacted a local artist Cameron Malphrus to see if he would be able to take on this project and he was on board! We showed him a picture of what we were looking to accomplish and he knew exactly what we wanted done. He suggested a 4'x8' ft. sheet of plywood for the canvas. We gathered the supplies and got right to work. We began going around to the Units and schools to get the kids started on their part!

Using the children’s artwork, artists of the D'Town Arts Coalition assembled the collage at Brandon David's Heart & Dagger Tattoo Parlour & Fine Art Gallery. It took them 6 ½ hours to complete the collage. The end result is breathtaking! This project was a great success and will be a part of this community for many years to come! It has been placed in the Albany Civil Rights Institute where it will remain.

We would like to offer our most sincere appreciation and gratitude to our sponsors for making the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. collage "Union" a great success! This was a community effort indeed and the children of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany, A School for Children, and YMCA’s Men of Distinction Program will never forget it!

We also had the children participate in the following: Essay Contest Coloring Contest & Discussions about Martin Luther King, Jr. and how he has influenced them

There were 300 children, grades 3rd-5th who participated in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Collage Project from:

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany A School for Children, Albany Albany YMCA's Men of Distinction Program

Using the children's artwork, artists of the D'Town Arts Coalition assembled the collage at Brandon David's Heart & Dagger Tattoo Parlour & Fine Art Gallery.

The artists: Cameron Malphrus -neo-surrealist Kris Letlow - painter Sean Mulley- expressive realist Durrell Smith - abstract expressionist

United Way of Southwest Georgia VISTA's: Shanina Roberts Ben Swanson Erin Hutchins

Check out the making of "Union" here: http://youtu.be/ynWvcPhcvcE