Public art keeps blooming in Old Hilliard
Old Hilliard is starting to look a lot more colorful.
The second commissioned mural in Old Hilliard is nearing completion on a wall of the Hilliard Civic and Cultural Arts Center, 5425 Center St.
Jeremy Jarvis, 44, owner of Jarvis Art Studio near Westerville, said he started work on the public-art piece in September and expects to finish the mural (24 feet by 40 feet) by the middle of December, weather permitting.
A sunny and dry day with temperatures above 32 degrees and with little breeze Nov. 23 provided a perfect afternoon for Jarvis to work toward meeting the target time to finish the mural.
“I love being outside and feeling the seasons change,” Jarvis said.
He said he sometimes listens to a podcast but is more likely to have Led Zeppelin or the Beatles playing, or perhaps “newer music,” such as Olivia Rodrigo.
“I look up new releases coming out each week,” Jarvis said, and he shares music – new and old – with his children.
The Old Hilliard mural faces Wayne Street and is visible from Center Street.
Jarvis designed it but has yet to name. It depicts the connections between artists and the community and is meant to illustrate gratitude, he said.
The mural includes sunflowers, a nod to the flower that is arguably responsible for the creation of the Hilliard Public Arts Commission.
When resident Kelley Daniel painted a sunflower on the garage of her Madison Street residence in 2009, she was told by Hilliard officials to remove it because the colors didn’t meet city code.
It was covered with plywood and remained hidden until 2018 with the creation of the Public Arts Commission, spearheaded by Daniel, and the commission’s subsequent approval of Daniel’s sunflower mural.
Jarvis was selected from among five applicants who answered a call for artists for the latest project, Daniel said.
The Public Arts Commission approved his mural Aug. 30, and City
Council confirmed the recommendation Sept. 13.
“We picked (Jarvis) because his mural was dedicated to the performing arts,” Daniel said. “Our vision was a mural that celebrates and promotes the value of public art for residents and visitors.
Jarvis received a $20,000 commission.
Robin Brenneman, executive director of the Hilliard Arts Council, which is based in the Hilliard Civic and Cultural Arts Center, said she is “absolutely thrilled” about the new mural.
“It perfectly fits with our mission (and) will increase our visibility and let people know we’re here,” she said.
Jarvis, a native of Michigan, said he came to central Ohio to attend the Columbus
College of Art & Design and stayed.
His other projects include a 100-foot by 20-foot mural on Gift Street in Franklinton called “Dream Together,” one of several he has created for the Harmony Project in Columbus.
He also was commissioned to render portraits of past directors of the nursing department at Ohio State University.
In addition to the mural in Hilliard, Jarvis is overseeing the collection of a series of panels painted by others and commissioned by Experience Columbus. Those panels will be assembled for a display in 2023 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
“I have been painting or drawing for as long as I can remember,” Jarvis said. “I have always loved painting, the creative
process (and) the peace and quiet of the creative process.”
Jarvis, his wife, Suman, and their four children, ages 5 to 17, live near Westerville, where he has an at-home studio.
Work on a third mural in Old Hilliard is expected to begin early next year.
City Council upheld a recommendation by the Public Arts Commission on Nov. 22 to place a mural by artist Sarah Hout on the Ross Realtors office building at 3988 Main St.
Hout said Ross Realtors “desired a vibrant mural that would encourage viewer interaction and make people smile” in a work partly inspired by the animated Pixar film, ‘Up.” kcorvo@thisweeknews.com @Thisweekcorvo