The mural Saga
Our physical space is in what is currently the Between the Hills Community Center. The building was built in 1872 to house the Neersville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department. It looked like a building that was built in 1972 to house a fire department. We had been operating out of the fire truck bay, which faces the street, for a year and decided that if people were going to be ‘attracted’ from the roadside—it would have to look better. So we put out a call to artists to submit designs for a mural!
What we Asked for . . .
“Transitioning Loudoun”
We welcome visions chronicling this region’s NATURAL HISTORY from geological to paleological all the way up to an imagined future. Topics could include the geology, fossils, landscapes, geological formations, the flora and fauna of the region, human paleo and prehistory, agriculture (crops or farms) to some idealized futuristic vision. Or all of the above!
Think “CABINETS OF WONDER”: Exhibits originating in the sixteenth century and were undefinable collections of natural or man-made curiosities. https://lubar.medium.com/cabinets-of-curiosity-a134f65c115a
DESIGNS NEED NOT BE NARRATIVE, REALISTIC, OR TRADITIONAL. THEY SHOULD, HOWEVER, FIT INTO THE THEMATIC GUIDELINES SET OUT ABOVE IN SOME WAY. We are open to experimentation and abstraction and other, conceptual, styles.
Although murals are typically done in paint, and that is what we have the budget for, we will accept proposals of other media.
Lastly—We are a ROADSIDE ATTRACTION: Stylistically anything that looks like a traditional roadside attraction advertisement that addresses the theme of “Transitioning Loudoun” has the advantage :).
What we got:
one single proposal by a local artist who specializes in military and aeronautic murals for government orgs. His proposal was full of soldiers, weaponry, and a couple cows. Sad face.
a cause for celebration
In the end, Arni and I developed an idea and sketched it and took it to our graphic designer friend, Ken Walker, who fleshed out ideas on his computer. We then presented our ideas to the Board of Directors of the Community Center who decided on a road between the hills! We then had to paint it! Using a doodle grid system, we scaled up the design, rented some scaffolding, bought some paint, and started during the dead of winter! (it was actually April, but still snowing!)
