What’s the value of a mural?
The Appalachian Mural Trail has developed a long-range plan to include these priceless murals and all future murals into a trail of murals encircling the Blue Ridge Parkway. Each mountain community and downtown area now has opportunities to join the mural trail to create their own outdoor historical mural or showcase what they have already developed.
The Triangle Park Mural in Asheville will be one of the first murals in 2017 to be dedicated to the outdoor historical Appalachian Mural Trail, along with the Shindig on the Green "Golden Threads" musical mural by Doreyl Ammons Cain and the "Chicken Alley" mural by Molly Must.
There’s an added value in bringing a diverse community together to create an outdoor historical mural project. Small towns can begin to “wither on the vine” when community spirit becomes low. A community betterment project breathes life back into a downtown area.
Small towns like West Jefferson in Ashe County have seen the results of outside public murals. This town has 14 murals in the downtown area. Another small North Carolina town engaging the local schools in creating murals is Old Fort in McDowell County. This tiny historical town has eight murals downtown, painted by local artists with the history content inspired by local primary school children. A grouping of seven murals called the “Seven Wonders Trail,” is a collaborative project, connecting members of the nonprofit Arrowhead Artists and Artisans League, the Old Fort Chamber of Commerce, and the Old Fort Elementary School.
Visit www.muraltrail.com, fill out the appropriate form and hit submit. Call 828.293.2239 to find out more about being a part of the mural movement.
