Mid-America Mural Project
2010 - 2013
This pilot program introduced a community-based approach to the design and creation of large public murals in communities within the Mid-America Arts Alliance’s region. Each intensive six-week project provided residents direct hands-on experience in the research, design, and execution of major public artworks for their communities. Local arts organizations in each state applied for a grant that covered the majority of costs. I led each project and was joined by a mural assistant, an apprentice selected from each state, and local design teams which were composed of people who chose themselves. In 2016, the award winning documentary “Called to Walls,” that follows the stories of the murals, was released. For more about this project, visit the Mid-America Mural Project blog.
Listening Back Dreaming Forward: the Rhythms of Tonkawa
Tonkawa, Oklahoma 2010
Assisted by Amber Hansen and Nicholas Ward. With the help of Audrey Schmitz, Ken Crowder and many community volunteers.
Employing an intensive community-based process, local volunteers teamed up with the visiting artists to research, design, and help paint this sprawling visual poem honoring Tonkawa’s cultural history and dreams of things to come. The resulting mural, divided into five interrelated panels, reflects the community’s continuing dialogue with its past including: the Cherokee Land Run and its effects on the Tonkawa Tribe, current efforts to revitalize downtown, and whimsical visions of future community-building endeavors.
The Imagineers
Newton, Kansas 2010
Assisted by Erika Nelson and Matt Farley. With help from Ray Olais, Rachel Epp Buller and many community volunteers.
Situated adjacent to Newton’s historic train depot, The Imagineers was designed and painted by a group of committed local volunteers working in collaboration with the visiting artists. The mural’s focus is a group of Newton area residents, gathered around a table, engaged in the process of recalling and re-imagining their community. Using quilts, model railroads, and board games as metaphors to explore their cultural history and manifest new ideas, the figures at the table are surrounded by symbols of Newton and North Newton including references to: Mennonite and Hispanic heritage, wheat farming, and the Chisholm Trail.
The Butterfly Effect
Joplin, Missouri 2011
Assisted by Amber Hansen, Ashley Laird and Kyle McKenzie. With help from Josie Mai, Sharon Beshore and many community volunteers.
Two months after an EF-5 tornado devastated nearly one third of the city, Joplin residents came together to create this magical evocation of a community rebuilding, remembering, and looking forward. Inspired by the metamorphosis of butterflies, the poetry of Langston Hughes, and the capacity for renewal expressed in the imaginations of children, the mural captures the story of Joplin’s unbroken spirit and hopeful outlook after the storm.
From a Dream to the Promise
Arkadelphia, Arkansas 2012
Assisted by Jordan Karpe and Ashley Laird. With the help Sam Blackmon, Ferrell Ford and many community volunteers.
Known to many as the ‘Athens of Arkansas,’ Arkadelphia’s passionate and enduring support of education is the focus of this mural. Underneath a decorative archway of soaring pine trees, a young student holding a symbolic pine tree sapling considers his future and potential. His journey unfolds amidst references to Arkadelphia’s cultural history including Peake School, the Arkadelphia Promise, and the Hunter - Dunbar Expedition. All of these are centered around the majestic figure of a woman, symbolizing education and mentorship, who lights the way to the young man’s future.
Storytellers
East Waco, Texas 2013
Assisted by Ashley Laird and Catherine Hart. With the help of Chesley Smith, Doreen Ravenscroft and many community volunteers.
Situated along Elm Avenue in historic East Waco, the library’s mural honors the legacy of this vibrant community. The mural design, built in three parts, begins with a series of panels along the bottom where Elm Ave., Paul Quinn College, the Alpha Theater, Kermit Oliver, Doris Miller and Juneteenth are remembered. Above, a series of symbolic pictograms refer to East Waco’s cultural, geographic and economic life, while the top of the mural takes inspiration from the tradition of hand-painted signs popular here.
Working Together Toward a People’s Art
Hastings, Nebraska 2013
Assisted by Rebecca Harrison and Amber Hansen. With help from Dave Stewart, Kaleena Fong and many community volunteers.
Painted alongside the Pioneer Spirit Hike & Bike Trail, this 210’ foot long mural explores the community process that takes place behind the scenes before painting begins. Each vignette highlights a different part of the process from initial research to drawing to projecting the design, and features many of the Hastings’ design team members. Special details include local artist Dave Stewart holding up the mural’s magic mirror, prehistoric fish from the Hastings Museum and a colorful evocation of the Fisher Rainbow Fountain.