Rebecca Smith, from left, and Maura Kistler, both board members of the Fayetteville Arts Coalition, and Amanda Jane Miller, a local artist, stand in front of the second of two murals painted by muralist Jeff Pierson, a Charleston-based artist, at the location of the former Second Street Bridge in Fayetteville on Monday. Miller helped to render and fill in a lot of the mural, which the arts coalition helped implement.
BECKLEY, W.Va. — With both of the Second Street abutment murals complete, the Fayetteville Arts Coalition will look for other opportunities to bring the community public art installations.
“We want to have as much public art as possible as a signal to visitors and residents that we are an art-friendly community in Fayetteville — we think about the arts and support them,” said Ginger Danz, chair of the Fayetteville Arts Coalition Board of Directors.
The removal of the Second Street Bridge on W.Va. 16 was controversial and upsetting for many in the town, but the two road-facing murals liven up an area that might otherwise be forgotten, she said.
The first mural celebrates traditional Appalachian music and instruments. The most recent mural showcases the many types of outdoor recreation available in the region.
Both are bright, colorful and executed in Pierson’s caricature-esque style.
The coalition is scoping out areas for their next project, and plan on having an open call to artists in 2017 to find their next mural artist through a juried process.
The coalition is also working on bringing in more sculptures or installation art into Fayetteville.
“Our mission — and one of the main goals of the organization — is to get art out in the community, get people talking and put artists to work,” Danz explained.
Fayetteville has a growing number of spaces for artists to show off their artwork like Cathedral Cafe, Vandal’s Kitchen, Kool Beans, Twisted Gypsy’s and The Grove, which hosts individual artists for their own show.
Holiday shoppers are invited to enjoy eclectic items from 15 local artists starting at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, at The Grove on Keller Avenue.
The show will also be open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2.
— Email: splummer@register-herald.com; follow on Twitter @Sarah_E_Plummer