With construction set to begin later this month on the new parking deck at the Washington County Courthouse, questions are now being raised as to what may become of one beloved piece of public art currently on display in Fayetteville.
In 1999, “The Lovely Mural” was dedicated on the east side of the parking lot of what was then the Fayetteville Public Library. The 15-by-25 foot scene “depicts the history of Washington County through the representation of a diverse group of people who helped shape their community,” according to words painted on the lower left corner of the mural.
Local artist Ben Crofoot, Caroline Miles, and Story Matkin-Rawn organized the community mural project back in 1998.
There are 44 historic places and individuals depicted on the mural, and over 50 local artists from the community as well as a local Brownie troupe, and a 4th grade class from St. Joseph’s elementary contributed to the work, created from May, 1998 through its dedication in July of 1999.
The library has since moved into its current location, and later this month, VCC, LLC will begin the demolition process to make way for the new parking deck at the Washington County Courthouse, leaving the fate of the mural up in the air.
The Lovely Mural on Dickson Street
Washington County Chief of Staff Dan Short said he will look to the artist community in Fayetteville for solutions on how to preserve the mural.
“We’ve just begun to think this thing through. I’ve commissioned with Steve Moore who does panoramic photography work, and I’ve asked him to go and preserve it photographically for us,” Short told us.
“We are currently looking at how we may be able to cut the mural into smaller pieces, and move it to a new location,” Short said. “We will look at the cost, time, and effort for moving the mural and go from there.
“I’ve also talked to Mr. Hank Kaminsky, and he is going to try to raise some support and hopefully get some ideas on how to preserve the mural other than photographically,” Short said.
Kaminsky, chair of the Fayetteville Arts Council, said that Short and County Judge Marilyn Edwards have expressed a deep concern for the preservation of the artwork.
“The county government is acting in good faith, and they want to resolve this thing properly,” Kaminsky said. “Unfortunately, there is precious little information about how to remove a mural on a concrete wall.”
Kaminsky also said that the destruction of the mural may violate the Visual Artists Rights Act, a federal law intended to protect the rights of visual artists.
Brad Hammond, President of McGoodwin, Williams and Yates, the firm who designed the new deck said the mural was considered in the design, but did not feel that saving the mural was a viable option.
“We’re considering options right now.” Hammond said. “We weren’t able to save the mural or reuse it (in the design of the new deck), but we’re considering options that the county might have for similar type work.”
Kaminsky is looking for community input, and ideas for how to save the mural as well. Those who would like to assist in the preservation of the mural may contact him directly, at 479-283-4842.
I really like local art on sidewalks & walls, etc. But I think part of the beauty & wonder of outdoor art & art like this is that it doesn’t last forever & it’s not supposed to.
I’m all for taking some hi-res photos and preserving a small portion of it and making another piece of art that can be placed in a city building or local art gallery or in the new structure, but if it was “preserved” in it’s entirety, to me, it just wouldn’t be the same.
I guess what I am trying to say is that I didn’t think art like this is supposed to be for everyone. I think it is just for those people, in that time, in the area.
I’m excited about the NEW artistic possibilities for the new structure.
Thanks for the effort on the part of the Flyer! I am confident that the community will step up and find a solution as people become more aware of the issue.
It is a beautiful piece of art. No one will say otherwise. However, if left the mural would need to be repaired and reconditioned. What is the difference of just creating it anew? I think it is an amazing thing to have but it is the idea and the pretty colors that I like and that can be replaced with something similar. Remember, Fayetteville and the UofA is full of talented and qualified individuals that may do something for us after the new Deck is built.
NaNa! Nah nah nah nah! Hey, hey hey, hey — good bye.
If Wal-Mart won’t move in and move it, its toast.
As to artistic merit of any new structure, count on a symphony of concrete gray. It’s hip to be square.
“…that may do something for us after the new Deck is built.”
yes, and later pigs will fly out of…oh never mind.
first things first:
if the mural wasn’t part of a structure that’s CAVING IN ON ITSELF maybe it’d have a shot. but at this point it’s negligent for the city to leave the parking deck there decaying from underfoot.
but if you want my opinion that’s not a transcendent mural anyway…it has almost nothing to do with our city demographically or historically (ABE LINCOLN?!?, ROSA PARKS?! HUH?!), and though it’s definitely better than a concrete wall I’d rather see it refreshed/replaced. We actually DO have some good history here that extends beyond Old Main and civil rights that is worth painting…oh wait!I do see ONE native american in there…
also, although i deeply respect Kaminsky’s thought on the legality of removal… i highly doubt that the artists rights act will apply…the artist(s) are the only ones who can invoke this law…and to apply to this mural it would have to be by artists of A)’recognized stature’, and b) defaced in a manner which reflected negatively on the artist, or c)destroyed due to gross negligence…
the city is not being negligent, they are caring for the rights of all of the other citizens who don’t want to fall through a concrete hole.
I do doubt that the new parking deck’s contractor will put another mural there…but i bet the city would allow citizens to replace it with something new. i like raZORbacks take “I guess what I am trying to say is that I didn’t think art like this is supposed to be for everyone. I think it is just for those people, in that time, in the area”
i think that destroying any art is sad, but public art, especially, should reflect the times and people.
If you’re bent on it… get Richard Serra’s ’tilted arc’ lawyer on the phone…
@JD – It’s the county, not the city, that owns and is replacing the parking deck.
Cut out a big chunk of it and put it back down at an elementary school with a sandpit underneath and climbing holds on the reverse side.
@Matt
city/county
same problem, different council.
I’m all for recycling it, but who’s to say it wont crumble/deteriorate dramatically when they try to move it anyway (especially if it’s frescoed). there’s not a guarantee that the huge expense of relocating the thing would even work.
example: what about the top part that’s a separate piece? it cant stay as one and expect the top part to not fall off or cause it to fall from top-heavyness since it’d no longer be connected to the rest of the structure.
There are serious legal restrictions regarding playground equipment and liability too.
and besides that…kids can paint murals… so why not let them exercise their creativity instead of climbing on a wall.
tadah. new mural.
recycle it into aggregate and fix the freaking STREETS!
I was working for a company back in the early 80s
as a grunt pouring the footing and the structure for that parking deck.
It was cold, muddy, and freezzing all week. I just wonder if that is a reason it is falling apart?No way should any product been flowing but I was just a grunt.
The faces in the mural are all of people from Fayetteville’s past. Abraham Lincoln and Rosa Parks are not represented in the mural. Take a look at it, This is a piece of indigeouness art done by volunteers from the now defunct MultiCutural Center and members of the community. It was very well researched and well made too, the colors are bright and will stand up for many years.
The visual artists rights act does apply to any art work by any artist, not just the “recognised” In fact the artists are, many of them, long gone, but the work is still there and it belongs to us.
I am not opposed to the county replacing the deck, or even the destruction of the mural if we have no other choice, I just want to see every option put on the table for discussion.
and Justin, what we need here are more of these kinds of works by all kinds of artists from the kids whose handprints become flowers in the Walker Park mural to the superstars of the art world who we need to bring here to make some new art in our public spaces. Public art is, after all, the communities way of saying who we are, Art is the symbolic expression of our experience as a community.
The Fayetteville Art Council and the newly formed Fayetteville Forward initiative have a responsibility to see to it that the community gets to have more and better art and to keep the art we do have, even preserve it.
@JD – You’re right. Same problem, different council. Personally, I think it’s important to make sure you’re giving responsibility to the correct council. “The city” gets blamed for all sorts of stuff that is not within our jurisdiction.
At the very least, the whole parking deck should be recycled at a C&D waste facility, but Hank’s right. Options for preserving the mural should be on the table.
Here’s another idea: preserve only the faces of the mural, and turn them into stepping stones in one of our parks. So many stones could create an interpretive path, with small plaques by each stone explaining the historical significance of the person represented.
Something I was just thinking about: Local artists: be careful. If a big stink is created about it (which it isn’t yet), it will limit the work in the future because the city/county/citizens will think about how difficult it was to improve structures with murals.
I’d rather destroy this one and see many more around town, than preserve this one, cost the people a lot of $ and the gov not allow it in the future due to cost & troubles with improving the structure.
I like the idea of preserving parts of it by making stepping stones but it would probably wear the paint pretty fast unless there is some way to protect it? (I’m no artist). I’m still with saving a small chunk of it & surrounding it with some hi-rez photos in a gov building. They can even put it in one of the walls or something.
For some reason an essay titled “The high price of free parking” comes to mind. If Fayetteville spent as much energy on efficient transportation as we do on parking we might have a better infrastructure (one that is not auto-centric).
It is sad to see the mural go but that’s what happens to outdoor/public art, it changes. In the town I grew up in we had the “Worlds longest public mural”, the city provided paint, safety gear and even art classes for anyone to go out and pint the big ugly concrete expanses. I wish Fayetteville could do something similar, I want to paint the Lafayette St Bridge blue and white to bring out the art-deco look in the concrete, but I think that is called vandalism. There is the big ugly concrete wall at the corner of Maple and Cleveland that would look so much better painted as natural stone… but again, vandalism.
It is appalling how some people start offering their opinions about things they know nothing about. JD, you should think before you post. Abe Lincoln? Really? You have obviously never been up close to the mural (or even bothered to watch the Flickr reel that lists the names of the likenesses, for that matter). What are you? A civil engineer? You sound deeply invested in the safety of the concrete itself.
The absurd argument that this mural was just for the time and place of the people who painted it is astounding. That’s like saying DaVinci, Rembrandt, or Seurat painted landscapes and portraits simply for superficial reasons. It’s for posterity. If that has to be explained to you, then you really MUST be some philistine who only cares about the crumbling concrete on a parking deck. Jesus…
The “Lovely Mural” is a a bittersweet red herring. While some might ask why such a work of art is to be lost, others might ask why Crafton Hull designed a canvas that only lasted 40 years.
There are far more complex structures throughout the world that have lasted hundreds of years — but a tiered open box built in the 1960s is now collapsing? How much cheap sand was in that concrete, anyway?