A new piece of art in Gainesville is aiming to promote a safer community and push people's attention toward the impacts of distracted driving.
The Pace Center for Girls in Alachua County partnered with muralist Jenna Horner, the Gainesville Police Department and State Farm to unveil an art installation supporting safe driving.
The mural was sponsored by State Farm Insurance, which granted Horner $3,000 to create the mural, with help from some of the girls at the Pace Center. State Farm spent $85,000 in total on projects like this across Florida.
Horner said she wanted to make the mural inclusive.
"I wanted to make sure that it was something that could be potent in this space for the girls to continue to be inspired by and this idea of safety often alludes to slowness to me that there is an idea of how we can be navigating through life," she said.
State Farm Insurance also has two programs to promote safe driving, Steer Clear and Drive Safe and Save. These are a safe driving program and course and an app that connects to your car to track safe driving habits.
According to State Farm Insurance agent Cassidy Pinner, the corporation is helping create more murals in Gainesville to promote safe driving.
"They are helping keep them safe, teaching them good habits early on," Pinner said. "we love to be a part of safe habits. To work with them was the perfect tie to work with these two organizations."
Following the mural unveiling, the Pace Center for Girls set up a field day for the girls and the community who joined the event.