Highland Arts re-issues call for Piedmont mural submissions

Liz Beavers, Mineral Daily News-Tribune
·2 min read
Proposals are being sought for the south wall of the Piedmont Library on Childs Avenue.
Proposals are being sought for the south wall of the Piedmont Library on Childs Avenue.

PIEDMONT - Highland Arts Unlimited has re-issued its call for design proposals for a mural to be placed on the south wall of the Piedmont Library.

The HAU Community Arts Project had previously issued a call for submissions in August and presented eight prospective designs to the mayor and council for consideration in September. Due to an apparent misunderstanding in what the town officials had in mind, however, the proposals were scrapped.

As a result of a followup discussion between committee chair Jill Baldinger and mayor Paula Boggs, the callout has been updated.

The mural will be placed on the south wall of the library, located at 1 Childs Ave, and will face the railroad tracks.

Proposals will be accepted from one artist or a team of artists to design a mural that includes elements of history and/or culture associated with the City of Piedmont. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 13, 2022.

The design should emphasize what made Piedmont grow into a bustling city in its early years. Images may include but are not limited to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Piedmont Pulp & Paper Company, Davis Mansion, Kenny House with its three-story building that is featured in the “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” and “Guinness Book of World Records, Piedmont High school’s state champion basketball team lion mascot and the Davis Mansion. The mural may also include native flowers, trees, and symbols of music, books, arts, and theatre. Other suggestions include references to coal, timber, The Piedmont Herald newspaper, Opera House, GC Murphy 5 & 10 cent store, and the old post office. There were also two movie houses in Piedmont.

This mural is made possible by the J. Norman and Margaret J. Reeves Private Foundation, US Wind Force Foundation, and Community Trust Foundation.

For more information and details on how to submit for this project, call Jill Baldinger at 304-788-1461 or email at mijill@frontier.com. Donations for this mural or other mural/art projects may be sent to HAU, PO Box 63, Keyser, WV 26726.

Liz Beavers is a veteran writer and managing editor of the Mineral Daily News Tribune. To reach out to her with a story idea, email lbeavers@newstribune.info.

This article originally appeared on Mineral Daily News-Tribune: Highland Arts re-issues call for Piedmont mural submissions