In murals, show our histories

Art is in the eye of the beholder. Or maybe it should be said that whether art is fully appreciated is the beholder’s choice.

Not as pithy, but it allows for the notion that art is born in the moment the artist creates something meaningful to, at least, the artist. Sometimes, other people find it meaningful, too.

“The moment the paint on a canvas is more than paint on a canvas, it becomes art,” said artist Debra Carr.

With that concept in mind, the growing number of murals in Northwest Arkansas’ cities are art. Walls of public and private structures are converted from meaningless blanks to images that, at the least, bring a smile or a moment of bewilderment. Even if a particular mural isn’t one’s favorite style or theme, murals at least become community reference points, such as “Come up the hill and take a left when you see the big owl on the side of a dilapidated building.”

Among the latest additions is the mural on the Fayetteville Town Center’s parking deck, at Rock Street and Block Avenue, next door to the police department. The Advertising and Promotion Commission spent $25,000 for a giant bicycle-riding kid, accompanied by a dog in the bike’s basket, riding on a multi-colored path on a field of blue.

Like so many popular murals, it’s whimsical. Work is underway nearby on a publicly funded 3-D mural on a privately owned building on the downtown square. It will include a goddess wielding paint brush and palette.

The age of the mural has come to Northwest Arkansas, encouraged by public officials who recognize the value of these installations as important decorations for the community. The trend isn’t unique to Northwest Arkansas, but every mural brings a unique perspective.

The mural rage is going on across the nation. Last week’s Parade supplement to this newspaper featured a cover story on “Murals Across America.” Towns often use murals to “transform blighted spots into must-see attractions,” the article’s author, Kristin Luna, wrote.

An online component of that story suggested what the best murals are in each of the 50 states. For Arkansas, Universal Chapel in Fort Smith earned top honors with its geometric splash of colors covering every exterior inch of the building.

The playful offerings are great. But visits to towns with a lot of murals can be like a visit to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. There one finds wonderful abstract or conceptual art in one exhibit, but around the corner are incredible representations of moments or places in American history.

Some communities, I think, steer clear of murals that attempt to capture history because they can become controversial. Who gets to pick the history represented? Will someone be offended? Is there someone featured whose life might have included some less-than-stellar behaviors?

When Arkansas considered two new statues to represent the state as part of the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall, the push to include native Johnny Cash met with some resistance because of his history with drug and alcohol abuse and womanizing. Eventually, the Cash statue gained favor.

We should include the whimsy, but as several murals featured in last week’s Parade demonstrate, connecting communities to their histories or their surroundings make murals even more significant. Kansas City’s massive tribute to baseball’s Kansas City Monarchs and the Negro League is fascinating.

Murals that capture our communities’ back-stories deserve a place alongside the fun, the mystical, the strange and the abstract. When we look around at painted walls, we should see those who came before, who inspired and led. We should see the culture that preceded us and contributed to who we are.

Without question, there is great history to be told in murals.

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Greg Harton is editorial page editor for the