No Longer Blank

How Adam Shrimmer Painted the Neighborhood 

One thing we are not lacking in Poe Mill is murals. Right around Griggs Church, there are several murals thanks to artist Adam Schrimmer, a local legend and lead artist of Blank Canvas Mural Company.

You may not know Adam, but if you’ve driven around Greenville for more than 10 minutes, you’ve probably seen his incredible art. He has several murals that can be seen on (or just off of) Main Street in downtown Greenville.

In Poe Mill, we see his art every day—and have for quite some time. He actually got his start in our little neighborhood. 

Adam Shrimmer

In 2014, Adam was invited by Kwadjo and Rashida Campbell of the Poe Mill Neighborhood Association to paint a mural near the entrance of the neighborhood. This was a community project and led to the iconic mural on the side of the gas station at the corner of Buncombe and Shaw, which bids us to “Radiate Positive Vibes!”

When we say it was a community project, it’s because many of Adam’s murals are paint-by-number projects that get everyone involved. Painting “by numbers” puts the mural in the community’s hands. Adam prepares the outline of the mural and gives neighborhood residents numbered cups of paint to cover a designated section of the mural with the same number. The result is amazing. Not only do neighbors grow closer together, but an important message is permanently displayed.

Take, for example, one of his other murals in Poe Mill, the “Human” mural on the side of Soteria’s office. That was another one of Adam’s earlier paint-by-number projects.

It not only gathered the neighborhood around Soteria—an important nonprofit helping men and women re-enter society after being impacted by the criminal justice system—but also, when you drive down Shaw Street now, you see a colorful reminder of how diverse our world is, displayed within the word “Human.”

After completing the mural in Poe Mill, Adam went full-time into a public art career, founding Blank Canvas and bringing communities together around vibrant, life-giving paintings.  

“Poe Mill is why I started the company. The experience of meeting the people and working with them, that is where true value lies,” he says. 

Since starting in Poe Mill, he’s had an additional impact on the West Side. You can find his work in the West Greenville Village, Sans Souci, Berea, Woodside, and many other neighborhoods we care deeply about.

For now, we want to focus on Poe Mill and offer up a simple challenge to all of our readers. 

Below, we give you the location for four of Adam’s Poe Mill projects. They’re all within a two-minute radius of each other (and only a three-minute radius of our church). Seeing all four, and even snapping some selfies with them, won’t take you a half hour. 

Drive around, enjoy some fantastic art, and learn more about your community in the process.

All Mural Photos by Isaac Cropsey

Shaw’s Tribute
6 Rutherford Rd, Greenville, SC 29609

Adam just completed this one last June. This mural pays homage to Shaw’s Pharmacy, which was the original occupant of the building. J. Elvin Shaw was a well-known Greenville pharmacist and a checkers champion! These days, the building is home to Greenville Combatives Academy, so you’ll see one of the kids sitting at the pharmacy counter in his karate gear. Griggs Church especially appreciates the fruits of the Spirit being listed prominently for all driving down Poinsett to see.

Human
210 Shaw St, Greenville, SC 29609

This is the one we mentioned earlier, on the outside of Soteria’s office. This mural celebrates all we, as different people, have in common. The hashtag #WeAllBleedRed can be found in the bottom corner.

Inspiration Everywhere
1410 Buncombe Rd, Greenville, SC 29609

A true masterpiece. A vivid celebration of Poe Mill and a reminder to stay humble, be gracious, and above all, be kind. You’ll see tributes to the Poe Mill stacks, Rivers of Life Ministries, and kids from the community growing into our next generation of leaders.

Uncommon
910 Pinckney St, Greenville, SC 29609

This one is on the side of the Investinet building, where Poe Mill Music just opened up. Investinet has been a great example of a community-minded company since its inception. On Instagram (@blankcanvasmuralco), this one is described as “Geometric meets floral, meets human representation.”

We love the George Washington Carver quote in this mural which states, “When you do a common thing in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.” 

We feel like that sums up a lot of the good news we see around Poe Mill. We may seem like a common neighborhood, but there is uncommon friendliness and unity—not to mention an uncommon number of murals.