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Macon memories Arrin Burgand has lived in Macon for more than 20 years and is a 2001 Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art graduate from Wesleyan College with a focus in oil painting. She shared her talents as an elementary school art teacher for several years and has been a freelancer since college, taking on various art commissions such as pet portraits, canvas works, murals and window paintings for local businesses. "You may find me around town splashing windows, which began when I worked as an arts director for a local children's museum in the early 2000s," she said. "Years later, I found myself painting the windows for the holiday season at the local Fresh Market. I posted a photo of the entrance of the store on social media, and businesses started contacting me." She found the new adventure to be fun. "I found it so therapeutic to paint on glass and soon realized that I was having fun traveling to businesses with my car full of paints and getting to meet new people. I found an outlet that I truly enjoyed while my children were in school. I loved that I could create my own schedule while getting paid and having fun," she said. For Burgand, window painting has been a blessing in disguise. "I have so many fun, crazy stories that have come from splashing windows with my art," she said, adding that she even found her rescue dog, Scruffy, while painting cherry blossoms several years ago at a local business. Burgand's special memories of the Cherry Blossom Festival lent a hand in the direction she wanted her Macon- Magazine-commissioned piece to go. "Of course, you cannot get away from the pink, but the Cherry Blossom Festival is so much more than just a blossom," she said. "My first visit to the festival was in the 1980s with a childhood friend whose mom had six children. We piled into the station wagon and headed to Macon from my hometown of Warner Robins. I remember the park, cotton candy, rides and just us kids playing and enjoying what felt like the most amazing event I had ever visited." TOP: WINDOW PAINTING BY ARRIN BURGAND. RIGHT: CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL QUEEN 2020-2022 ALICIA FORD. As far as the mark she's making now, the window art, located at the old Blair's Furniture at 418 Third St. in downtown Macon, captures her feelings. She wanted to portray a female who was imagining cherry blossoms while the various colors depict flashes of memories such as what she experienced over the years. She was able to do this in just five hours. Alicia Ford, pictured in front of this beauty, served as the Cherry Blossom Festival Queen from 2020-2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic halting festival plans in 2020. A sophomore at Wesleyan majoring in Biology and minoring in Business Management, Ford loves the festival and enjoys meeting new people. She also serves as the vice president for media operations of A Brooke Haven Lounge in downtown Macon. She is wearing Frankie's Boutique, located on Cherry Street, where she works and models. 78 maconmagazine.com | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022