New mural projects in Texas and Nebraska in 2013

The Mid-America Mural Project will be going to Texas (spring) and Nebraska (late summer) in 2013! Any community within those states is eligible to apply. In addition, each project will hire a mural apprentice. Links to the RFP's and apprentice applications are below.

Texas Mural Project RFP
http://www.arts.texas.gov/jobs-opportunities/rfp-texas-community-mural-project/

Texas Mural Apprentice Application
http://www.arts.texas.gov/jobs-opportunities/temporary-position-mural-apprentice/

Nebraska Mural Project RFP and Apprentice Application
http://www.nebraskaartscouncil.org/public_art/nebraska_mural_project.html

Arkadelphia mural postcards available

Beautiful 4" x 9" inch postcards of From a Dream to The Promise are now available. They are .50 each plus shipping. Email me at  dloewenstein(at)hotmail.com  to place your order.

postcard frontside

postcard backside

Arkadelphia's completed mural - "From a Dream to The Promise"

From a Dream to The Promise

Lead Artist - Dave Loewenstein
Assistant -    Ashley Jane Laird
Apprentice - Jordan Karpe

With the help of over two-hundred community volunteers.

Supported by:
Mid-America Arts Alliance
National Endowment for the Arts
Clark County Arts and Humanities Council
Caddo River Art Guild
Group Living Inc.

The mural is 24 feet tall and 65 feet long painted on the west facing wall of the Honeycomb Restaurant at 705 Main Street.

Scroll down to read a description of the imagery in the mural.

The main theme for our mural is Education. Within that theme, we have been guided by the phrase, “The journey from a dream to the promise.” The architecture of the composition is built from the combined ideas of an Arch, a Bridge, and a Porch / Stage.

Framing the Arch at the upper left and right are soaring pine trees reaching up to the sky with a Cockaded Woodpecker on the left (an endangered species protected by the Ross Foundation) and a majestic Blue Heron on the right commonly seen in the area’s rivers and lakes.

At the base of the arch is a series of panels that from left to right represent:

1) The heart of a pine tree, revealing its history and symbolizing ours

2) Caddo pottery decoration

3) Honeycomb as a reference to the Group Living restaurant where the mural is painted

4) A Beehive as another reference to Group Living

5) Caddo pottery decoration

6) The Salt Kettle in front of the courthouse and a molecular diagram of salt

Within the Arch is a tableau that celebrates Arkadelphia’s leadership in education. Beginning at the far left, a young man sits on the porch holding a pine tree seedling (symbolizing his potential) while gazing into his uncertain future and toward aspirations of Ouachita & Henderson universities, and early educational leaders Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington, who set the ground work for Peake School and thousands of others like it in the 1920’s and 30’s. Above and to his right, is a quote from a poem by the Arkadelphia writer and humanitarian John Allen Adams which reads "I walk toward the sound of my days."

Beyond those aspirations, the young man looks towards a dynamic allegorical figure, with a dress embellished with keys to unlock ones potential and dreams. She symbolizes the many past and present mentors and teachers who have helped guide Arkadelphia’s young people. As she is conjured up and made real by a fashion designer, inspired by Arkadelphia native Martha Dixon, and her apprentice on the steps, the symbolic mentor extends her hand as an invitation to the young man and gestures toward Arkadelphia’s Promise, which is illuminated under the lantern she carries. 

The kick-off ceremony for The Promise at Arkadelphia High School, accompanied by fireworks and music, completes the educational dream of the young man who we see again at the far right. In one hand he carries his diploma and with the other he passes along the symbolic pine seedling to a new student who will soon begin her own journey.

This story is enhanced with specific references to Arkadelphia and Clark County.  Along the length of the porch are references to important institutions and architecture including Caddo dwellings, Hill’s Café, Peake School, a church, the public library, and the high school stadium. 

At center left, a fiddle player sits on the porch and plays the folk tune that is the story of the mural. His music resonates throughout and reminds us that we need to actively maintain a community of giving teachers and mentors who can lead the way for Arkadelphia’s young people. 

At the center right, we see a group from our mural design team engaged in the process that has led us here. They / we  have given our time to do what the fiddle player symbolizes –  telling the story of this community’s commitment to giving each person the tools and resources they need to be able to reach their full potential.

In the center above and behind the figure for education, is an iconic view of the Ouachita River from the Bluff. Looking out from its edge are the explorers Hunter and Dunbar who were among the first people to map this region. In the background just below the Bluff, the rings of a giant tree (inspired by the Ross Foundation’s remarkable lobby) connect the story from dream to promise. 

To the right and left of the Bluff, are panels with decorations inspired by designs on the old Arkadelphia High School. And at the very top center, an illuminated letter A for Arkadelphia is carried forward by doves of peace.

A sincere thank you to all who helped bring this project to life, give it form, and carry it forward.

 

Post from mural apprentice Jordan Karpe

The following post is from mural apprentice Jordan Karpe.

 On one of our final days here in Arkadelphia the sky was threatening rain. The clouds were growing darker, and people passing by casually mentioned imminent inundation. Not a single drop fell though, and the mural was coated in varnish marking the completion of the project. After more than three months of living in town, I spent one of my last days frantically brushing clear coat plastic onto the wall and consequently myself. The smell wasn't too agreeable, and peeling it off my skin took awhile, but there was an immense moment of relief when it was done. My mind is wrapping itself around these last few months, the experiences, the friendships, and the lessons.

I've grown incredibly fond of this community mural process. It combines a lot of things I enjoy: people, public art, history, community, and lots of wonderful free food. But really just the idea that the work I've been a part of has evoked such positive responses gives me hope. The observations I've had on a living, breathing community has been fascinating. People are fascinating. Overwhelmingly the response to the mural has been supportive. So many individuals walk by and gaze upwards, chatting with their friends. Some are even brave enough to offer a kind word of encouragement. And the circumstances that helped formulate the design brought people together, and I saw people engaging with one another.

It's people engaging, not exchanging pleasantries, not smiling politely, but having conversations that instills hope in me. But I recognize how hard that can be. Everyone interacts differently, and each person comes equipped with a differing set of personal outlooks and ideas of conduct. Naturally, that can lead to some conflicts, but those conflicts aren't necessarily bad. This project has pushed people together, and I hope members of the design team maintain that air of camaraderie once Dave, Ashley, and I leave. I hope new friendships were formed in this community and that they persist. The mural is a testament to what a diverse group of people can accomplish. I hope the artists who contributed feel inspired to further collaborate. I hope all the self-identified non-artists feel empowered to be creative. A mural doesn't require a degree, or a pedantic grasp of terminology, or an expert, just people willing to engage. Dave certainly knows the ropes. He is no slouch of a painter, but I'm continually impressed by the way he engages with people.

I wish I had more time to personally thank all the gracious friends we've made. Each person from the design team and Group Living, to Dave and Ashley has brought light to my life. I could not imagine a better first project to learn from. Though there will be more murals, I can guarantee Arkadelphia will hold a special place. But for the moment, I'm ready to head home to see my dog.
- Jordan Karpe

Arkadelphia Mural Celebration article

Click the link below to read this story in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

"City's mural dedicated; work remains to be done"

Arkadelphia Mural Celebration

It was a bit cooler than we had expected, but the rain let up, sun came out, and our mural celebration / dedication went off without a hitch. A crowd of sixty plus gathered at the base of mural to listen to the Cedar Grove Bluegrass Band before Project Coordinator Farrell Ford began the program.

The Cedar Grove Bluegrass Band.

Speakers included mayor Charles Hollingshead, mural apprentice Jordan Karpe, Group Living Executive Director Jane Lucas, design team members Mariela and Natalie Crockett, mural assistant Ashley Jane Laird, and then yours truly.

Ashley Jane Laird talks about the place and people around the mural site.

Dave giving his remarks.

Sam Blackmon and Jordan Karpe.

An explanation was in order, since many were asking whether the mural was finished. The answer no, not yet. I like to schedule the mural celebration a week or so before the mural is finished. Why? Because I like the mural team to have uninterrupted time at the end of the project to finish things up and do the detailed work without worrying about speeches and such. After all the talking, it was time to enjoy home baked cookies and lemonade while the band played on.

The mural with about a week left before completion.

Arkadelphia Mural Celebration

Join us for a ....

Celebration of the new 

Arkadelphia Community Mural

Sunday, October 7th

2:00 - 4:00 pm

705 Main Street

Arkadelphia, Arkansas

TV story about the Arkadelphia mural project

KARK Channel 4 News story on the Arkadelphia mural.

http://arkansasmatters.com/fulltext?nxd_id=593132

Arkadelphia - painting begins

After five intensive weeks of research and design, Arkadelphians began painting their new mural on Main Street. It was overcast with intermittent rain, but that didn't keep folks away.

There is something transformative about lending a hand to a civic project like this. Its scale, its seductive color, and its potential as a new embodiment of the town's spirit inspires people (many of whom hadn't heard about the project until they drove by and saw us painting) to want to say 'I helped' and be able to point to the very spot they painted.

We begin by blocking in large areas of color in the background, so the mural initially resembles an abstract painting made up of interlocking geometric shapes. Later, figures and other elements of the composition will be projected and painted in on top of the background colors. Community painting is also an opportunity for people not involved with the design process to learn about the project, talk about its subject, and visit with friends and fellow streetside critics.

I've always been interested in how this public activity seems to enable and encourage a kind of civic interaction that can be hard to come by these days. It used to be that residents of small town or neighborhood would have many opportunities to bump into each other - at the bank, post office, and library to name a few. But with the advent of new computer technology, we no longer need to go to these places, we can do all our errands from home - alone.

So a big mural like this presents a forum and point of reference for striking up a conversation about the weather, the economy, the government and what it all means. By making it look fun, ala Tom Sawyer, we also get a lot of people to paint and thereby make their mark into their community's unfolding story.

Original sketch by Norman Rockwell of Tom Sawyer
 laughing while others do the painting.

Shadows of Arkadelphia

In preparation for transferring the mural design, we rehearsed with the digital projector. As we worked out the angles and proportions, everyone was invited to shadow play. A great night, it was like an  improvised community dance parade. Here's a glimpse. (Thanks to Jordan and Ashley for shooting many of these photos.)

"Painting a City's Portrait: Work begins on Arkadelphia mural"

from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

by Wayne Bryan
September 19, 2012

ARKADELPHIA — Dozens of Arkadelphia residents gathered under cloudy skies and an intermittent mist to be part of the city’s history on Saturday. Elementary school children painted alongside their friends, mothers and grandmothers. City officials joined newcomers and groups of teenagers to place the first colors in a municipal mural on the side of the Honeycomb Restaurant on Main Street.

Scott Holbrook and Betty Gentry apply color to the municipal mural being created in Arkadelphia. Clark County residents were invited to paint the background of the artwork that will cover one wall of the Honeycomb Restaurant on Main Street. Photo by Wayne Bryan

“The people are putting in the background colors in sections that we have drawn in,” said Dave Loewenstein, a nationally recognized muralist from Lawrence, Kan. “They are painting from the ground up. For safety reasons, we are not going to let them get on a lift and paint up higher. Later, Jordan, Ashley and I will be painting the different designs and figures.” The city “won” the project from the Mid-America Arts Alliance in Kansas City, Mo., said Farrell Ford, a Clark County artist and interim executive director of the Clark County Arts and Humanities Council. She said the arts alliance, along with the Arkansas Arts Council, announced a large grant for a mural in an Arkansas city and invited communities to submit proposals for their cities.

“Five cities applied, but only one city could be picked, and Arkadelphia is that city,” Ford said. The muralist and his assistants for the project, Topeka, Kan., artist Ashley Laird, along with a mural apprentice, Jordan Karpe of Little Rock, arrived in Arkadelphia in August and toured the community. “This was really my first opportunity to spend any time in Arkansas,” Loewenstein said. “I have been struck by the beauty of the area. It is an oasis of nature in the middle of the United States. It seems there are not a lot of people in this part of the state, but plenty of mountains, rivers and trees — lots of trees.”

The design for the city’s mural has been created by the artist based on the comments from people who have been meeting weekly to discuss what kind of painting would make the right portrait for the city, Ford said. “As many as 50 people took part in those meetings at one time or another, but a group of about 20 kept coming back,” Ford said. “They got into it, going to the library and finding out more about the history of the area and figuring out what might best represent us.” The artist said the 20 Arkadelphia residents who took part were the most democratic of groups. “They selected themselves, by always showing up and getting involved,” Loewenstein said. “It is not a committee; it's a team. The members ranged in age from 8 years old to someone who was 84, I believe. We are visitors here, listening and learning and not as familiar with the history of this place, so we rely on local people to help us understand what is important.”

As he often does before painting a mural in a town, Loewenstein walked around the city, once following the Feaster Trail into the woods to find the historic overlook some call the Desoto Bluff that overlooks the Ouachita River north of the city. The bluff was mentioned in some of the first reports from explorers of the region, after Arkansas became part of the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. The regular discussions, about what scenes and symbols best caught the spirit of Arkadelphia, could become heated at times. Loewenstein said the depth of feelings and the variety of ideas expressed make the creative process of designing the mural fun. “There were different points of view, but we worked it out together,” he said.

The team selected the theme of education, calling it a “strong part of the city’s culture and economy.” Ford, who has helped coordinate the project from the beginning, agrees with the mural being centered on education. “The first thing you think of is the two colleges (Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University),” she said. “I am not sure we could have survived without education and the students. Things are different in town when they show up each year.”

Loewenstein said the mural should reflect a sense of Arkadelphia — its place, its industry, people and aspirations. However, the artist said the project will have a poetic feel, “without a lot of who, what and where.” The phrase created to guide the project was “The Journey From a Dream to the Promise.”

The artist said the left side of the design includes a young man sitting on a porch holding a pine seedling, symbolizing potential. “Reaching out to the young man is an allegorical figure representing the past and present mentors and teachers who have guided Arkadelphia’s young people,” Loewenstein said as he pointed out some of the elements of the mural’s design. “With the other hand, she gestures toward Arkadelphia’s Promise.” The Promise is a community effort that will aid every Arkadelphia High School graduate go to college, if accepted under the program’s criteria. At the other end of the mural, the young man, with a diploma in hand, hands off the seedling to a little girl who begins her journey.

Other elements of the blockwide painting include the bluff along the Ouachita; pottery decorations from the Caddo people, who lived in the area before Europeans came; a honeycomb, a reference to the Group Living restaurant where the mural is painted; and the salt kettle that is kept in front of the Clark County Courthouse. The volunteer painters were invited so the community could become part of the project. “We have had people working on really big shapes and blocks of colors,” Loewenstein said. “We want people to feel ownership of the wall. It is theirs.”

Tamara Adams of Arkadelphia brought her daughters Sierra, 15; Tanner, 12; and Xander, 9, to paint on the wall after going to the Clark County Fair. “I’m friends with a member of the local arts guild, and the 4-H has been involved in the project, and it looked like fun,” Adams said. “I brought the kids here to paint so they could be a part of history. I think it will be here a long time.”

When the weather cooperates, Loewenstein said, residents will be able to paint some more on the mural, while his team adds the detailed elements. He said the mural should be finished by mid-October if there is enough good weather.

Staff writer Wayne Bryan can be reached at (501) 244-4460 or wbryan@arkansasonline.com.

Arkadelphia - The Mural Design

Below is a description of the Arkadelphia mural design as it was presented to and approved by the mural Design Team and Clark County Arts and Humanities Council.  This is intended to give an overall sense of the concept and to identify specific images within the design. Some parts of the design may modified slightly during the painting process.

Mural Design Team reviewing the final design.

The main theme for the mural is Education. Within that theme, we have been guided by the phrase, 'The journey from a dream to The Promise.' 

The architecture or infrastructure of the composition is built from the combined ideas of an arch, a bridge, and a porch / stage. Framing the arch at the upper left and right are soaring pine trees reaching up to the sky with a Cockaded Woodpecker on the left (an endangered species protected by the Ross Foundation) and a majestic Blue Heron on the right commonly seen in the area’s rivers and lakes.

At the base of the arch is a series of panels that from left to right represent:

1) The heart of a pine tree, revealing its history and symbolizing ours

2) Caddo pottery decoration

3) Honeycomb as a reference to Group Living where the mural will be

    painted

4) A beehive as another reference to Group Living

5) Caddo pottery decoration

6) The salt kettle in front of the courthouse and a molecular diagram of salt

Within the arch is a tableau that celebrates Arkadelphia’s leadership in education.

Beginning at the far left, a young man sits on the porch holding a pine tree seedling (symbolizing his potential) while gazing into his uncertain future and toward aspirations of Ouachita, Henderson, and early educational leaders Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington, who set the ground work for Peake School and thousands of others like it in the 1920’s and 30’s.

Beyond those aspirations, he sees a dynamic allegorical figure that represents the many past and present mentors and teachers who have helped guide Arkadelphia’s young people. As she is conjured up and made real by the designer and apprentice on the steps, she extends her hand as an invitation to the young man and gestures toward the Arkadelphia Promise, which is illuminated under the lantern she carries.

The kick-off ceremony for the Promise at Arkadelphia High School, accompanied by fireworks and music, completes the educational dream of the young man who we see again at the far right. In one hand he carries his diploma and with the other he passes along the symbolic pine seedling to a new student who will soon begin her own journey.

This story is enhanced with specific references to Arkadelphia and Clark County.  Along the length of the porch are references to important institutions and architecture including Caddo dwellings, Hill’s Café, Peake School, a church, the public library, and the high school stadium.

At center left, a fiddle player sits on the porch and plays the folk tune that is the story of the mural. His music resonates throughout and reminds us that we need to actively maintain a community of giving teachers and mentors who can lead the way for Arkadelphia’s young people.

At the center right, we see a group from our mural design team engaged in the process that has led us here. They have given their time to do what the fiddle player symbolizes –  telling the story of this community’s commitment to giving each person the tools and resources they need to be able to reach their full potential.

In the center above and behind the figure for education, is an iconic view of the Ouachita River from The Bluff. Looking out from its edge are the explorers Hunter and Dunbar who were the first to map this region. In the background just below The Bluff, the rings of a giant tree (inspired by the Ross Foundation’s remarkable lobby) connect the story from dream to promise. Within those rings we see the confluence of the Caddo and Ouachita Rivers.

To the right and left of The Bluff, are panels with decorations inspired by designs on the old Arkadelphia High School. Within these panels will be included quotes from Arkadelphia’s great poet and humanitarian John Allen Adams. And at the very top center, an illuminated letter A for Arkadelphia is carried forward by doves of peace.

Arkadelphia - Searching for The Bluff

DeSoto Bluff, as it's known locally, is named for the famed Spanish explorer / conquistador even though evidence of his actually stepping foot there is hard to find. Much more likely is that members of the Caddo Tribe and the explorers Hunter and Dunbar took in the majestic view and surveyed the landscape from its peak. Nevertheless, the bluff which overlooks the Ouachita River valley is embedded in the story of this place and is one of the most picturesque sites in Arkadelphia. With an afternoon off, we decided to go find it, the only problem being that we didn't have any idea about how to get there.

The best clue we had was that Feaster Trail would soon be extended to connect with the Bluff. We knew where Feaster Trail was so we followed it to its end and then began our search. After almost giving up, I spotted what appeared to be an overgrown path leading into the Kudzu draped woods. Why not. We took the path up and up along a steep embankment while being devoured by hungry mosquitos.

It was so steep at one point that an  improvised climbing rope tied to a tree had been placed to assist novices like us. Eventually we reached a plateau and saw ahead of us an opening in the trees...the Bluff, we thought... Almost.

Feeling victorious we made our way home, but not before Ashley suggested we try the one other lead to the Bluff we'd heard about. This one involved cutting down a barely noticeable dirt road just south of the Carmart. The gate was open so in we went (thank you for all-wheel drive).

   When we reached the end of the road and saw the iconic view of the river below us and the Ouachita mountains spreading out across the horizon, it became clear that the bluff we had climbed to earlier wasn't The Bluff but just a clearing in the forest far below our current vantage point. Here, was the beloved place of many a local painter and high school sweetheart. Mission accomplished.