A mural is planned at the south end of the retaining wall along Archibald Yell Boulevard near downtown Fayetteville.
Photo: Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer
FAYETTEVILLE — The city’s arts council is one step closer to choosing the designs for two murals on the retaining wall along Archibald Yell Boulevard.
The council earlier this month selected four conceptual designs for the work, but did not disclose the names of the artists until after the meeting.
Jessica DeBari, chair of the council, said Monday the four finalists are Colleen D’Antoni, Austin Floyd, Hannah Lloyd-Jones and Jeremy Navarrette.
Each artist will be paid $500 to submit a final drawing of their design. The council will meet again in mid-March to choose the winning designs. Final designs must be submitted by March 2, said DeBari.
The retaining wall runs along the west side of Archibald Yell from Rock Street to South Block Avenue. One mural will be painted on each end of the wall.
The two murals will be different sizes.
A second mural is planned next to the Fayetteville Bulldogs mural at Archibald Yell and Rock Street.
Photo: Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer
The smaller mural will be painted on the north end of the retaining wall at the intersection of Rock Street. It includes about 108 square feet, and will stretch from the end of the wall up to the edge of the existing Fayetteville Bulldogs mural. Payment for the smaller mural is set at $3,800.
The mural area on the south end of the wall includes about 408 square feet area and will cover the first three sections of the concrete wall. The stipend for the larger mural is $14,200.
The theme for the murals is “Experience the Adventure of Fayetteville!”
From the project website:
Part of the adventure of Fayetteville is its atmosphere of inclusion and love of diversity. Fayetteville comes alive through individual personal accounts of real stories around its residents’ various histories and heritages. The City hopes to grow the diversity of its population and share in all the cultural experiences that come with inviting friends with differing vantage points. Adding to the adventure of Fayetteville is its topographical diversity and all the ways to connect with the outdoors. Applicants are strongly encouraged to research all the outdoor adventures and experiences Fayetteville has to offer. The mountains, tall trees and interconnected trails of Fayetteville offer exciting avenues for exploration of all the beauty of the outdoors and the charm of the region.
The murals are part of a larger set of planned improvements to Archibald Yell that were included in the bond issue approved by Fayetteville voters in 2019.
Included below are some conceptual drawings submitted by the four finalists. The final designs are allowed to be updated based on the discussion of the works at the Feb. 7 meeting of the Fayetteville Arts Council.
» Watch the council’s discussion of the works here
Concept by Colleen D’Antoni
Concepts by Austin Floyd
Concept by Hannah Lloyd-Jones
Concepts by Jeremy Navarrette
