PAINTING THE TOWN
Public art brings new life to cities
Art can have a positive impact on people’s lives, and many communities around Arkansas are embracing public art as a way to show off their culture and history.
Murals have become a great opportunity for these cities and attract thousands of visitors from across the country. The following are just a few of the cities in Arkansas to display public art.
SEARCY
Over the past few years, the city of Searcy has embraced public art to redefine its downtown area. Partnering with local building owners and artists, the Think Art Project has commissioned more than a dozen murals that provide pops of color throughout the area. The Natural Notes mural on the side of Quattlebaum Music was created by Tara Peacock and Jason White. The mural displays song lyrics written by musicians who are native to Arkansas. Other murals, such as Searcy Wings, also painted by White, and the ever-changing Art Alley make great photo opportunities.
LITTLE ROCK
Arkansas’ capital city has also become big on murals. Several public pieces have been created in the past few years. This year saw the completion of
Playtime, a mural on the side of One Union National Plaza on Capitol Avenue. Created by artist Jason Jones, this 5,000-square-foot mural depicts a red wagon carrying various iconic Little Rock buildings and attractions, such as the Capitol building, the River Market and Simmons Tower.
Gabe Holmstrom, director of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership, said Little Rock’s public-art play began with the koi mural by Matt McLeod on a building at Sixth and Main streets.
Both murals have proven popular for business owners, residents and visitors alike, so Holmstrom said more murals have been completed and are in the process. Other mural sites include the parking deck at Sixth and Scott streets, the alley behind the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, the overpass on River Market Avenue, the Simmons Tower parking deck and the South Main Street area of downtown. Holmstrom said the DLRP also partnered with the Arkansas Rice Federation to paint a mural honoring the state’s biggest crop.
“The biggest benefit we see are smiling faces,” he said. “When you see people walking by and staring and looking and smiling, I think that’s really the biggest reward.”
FORT SMITH
Since 2015, Fort Smith’s The Unexpected project has brought in artists from around the world to bring free and accessible art and art-education programs to the city. This project has helped people from around the world shine a light on Fort Smith and helps local citizens find new ways to interact with the community.
“We were able to create an opportunity for large groups of people to explore their downtown,” said Claire Kolberg, director of The Unexpected. “It increases walkability, which creates an opportunity for somebody to go into a store that they may not have seen before when they were in their car driving.”
Kolberg said the reaction from communities outside of Fort Smith has been great. She said people frequently call to see how they can create an event such as The Unexpected or bring art into their communities.
“I think it’s wonderful that these cities are exploring how they can tap into their creative resources and what a creative economy looks like,” she said. “For us, the creative economy supports the business economy and vice versa. It’s really important that we support and engage in all these types of events and activities to really create a healthy and sustainable community.”
The project has turned downtown Fort Smith into a destination of world-class urban art, and more than 30 pieces have been created. Visitors looking for details on where to find the art and get all the inside information can download the UnexpectedFS smartphone app, which gives information on the works and their artists. Tours are also available.
For more information, visit unexpectedfs.com.
DE QUEEN
Not far from the Oklahoma border, the city of De Queen has a couple of famous murals. Its Native American mural, across from the Sevier County Courthouse, has a scene that shows a still river and people performing tasks. The mural also includes the seals from five Native American nations, including the Choctaw, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Muscogee and Seminole, who once populated the area.
Another mural, inside the De Queen post office, honors wildlife conservation in Arkansas. This mural was painted by Henry Simon and was originally supposed to focus on the timber industry but was changed to highlight area wildlife, such as turkey, quail, raccoon and deer.
HOT SPRINGS
The Spa City has also turned up the heat on public art.
More than a dozen murals dot the city’s downtown area. The murals provide a glimpse into the city’s history, such as Quapaw, a mural by Pepe
Gaka that was inspired by the Quapaw tribe that lived in the area; and Playing
Cards on Malvern Avenue, which pays tribute to Hot Springs being known as the birthplace of Major League Baseball spring training.
ARKADELPHIA
Just a short drive from Hot Springs, Arkadelphia is home to The Journey
From a Dream to the Promise, by Dave Loewenstein. This mural shows the path a man takes to become an educator. Arkadelphia is home to two colleges — Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University — and this mural depicts a variety of scenes from around the city.
CAMDEN
It might be surprising to find worldclass murals in Camden, but Matt Dean, also known as Kiptoe, recently painted a new mural in the city on the side of Snider Studio Apartments. The mural was commissioned by the owner of the building, Travis Daniel, who saw Dean’s videos on YouTube.
The city has several other murals that depict its history, but Dean’s painting was created not only to honor the city’s past but to look ahead to its future.
MAGNOLIA
Magnolia’s downtown historic square is filled with color as the result of the addition of six murals. These murals showcase the history of the city, and one is the only mural autographed by actor Charlton Heston.