Canton artist raising funds to restore downtown Polypus public art | The Monday After

Artist Thomas Morgan plans to recreate his eye-catching octopus mural in downtown Canton, turning tentacles into snakes.

Morgan is seeking $10,000 through a GoFundMe plea to reimagine the mural – looming large on a building in the 400 block of Court Avenue NW – and when work is completed in 2024 the artwork previously called "Polypus" will be renamed "Medusa."

"There is a new product available (a truck bed liner) that wasn't available when I originally created the octopus," Morgan shared on the GoFundMe page created to help fund the project. "This product should last significantly longer than the previous fiberglass and epoxy.

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"I figured if I'm going to take it down for the restoration I might as well rethink the concept, so I came up with 'Medusa,' changing the tentacles to snakes. This will be an intricate and involved process including dismantling, refabricating, transporting and resculpting snakeheads and bodies."

Morgan figures the cost to restore the mural could reach up to $40,000, including compensation for his work. As of last week, $810 had been raised from donors who visited https://gofund.me/a5bbcb4d. Much work is left to be done, Morgan admits, both in fundraising and restoration.

"The mural part is fading," he said. "I'd like to redo it on metal panels and use an industrial paint so that it will last longer."

History of mural dates spans years

The "Polypus" mural – with tentacles bursting from the building – was born about a dozen years ago when the owner of The Imperial Room at 420 Court Ave. NW, a friend of Morgan's, approached the artist about improving the appearance of an exterior wall that had deteriorated.

"He said, 'Could you paint something so it doesn't look like a boarded-up building?'" recalled Morgan. "So we started playing with ideas and came up with the three-dimensional octopus."

Initially, the wall wasn't intended to be a canvas for a mural.

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"We looked into refinishing the wall – we weren't going to do a mural – but it was going to cost $20,000 to refinish the wall," recalled Morgan.

So, the pair changed plans and put the mural portion of the artwork on a vinyl surface.

The new mural will have its image printed on a metal surface, ensuring a more durable piece of public art.

"Of all the elements, the sun damages my public art the most," Morgan said. "But, there are products out there that weren't available (when he did the first mural), products that are durable and last far longer."

Financing is an issue

Morgan discussed the recreation of the mural with a city official who suggested some city money for the project potentially might be available next year. The artist also plans to approach ArtsInStark about additional financial assistance.

"I've been a part of the Canton Arts District since the start," said Morgan, who has created pieces of public art displayed throughout downtown. "If you stood at the corner of Court and Fourth Street (NW) you couldn't throw a stone without hitting one of my pieces."

Morgan also suggests he hopes to receive contributions from ethnic groups. An online history describes the Greek mythological figure Medusa as a "human female with living venomous snakes in place of hair."

"Because Medusa is Greek, I thought maybe members of Greek organizations might help me because I'm representing their culture with Greek mythology."

The artist also is considering obtaining sponsors, who could be recognized below the artwork.

"Under the mural itself there is a 4 1/2- to 5-foot space," he said. "I'm thinking that if any corporations made significant contributions, I could put their logos underneath with the recognition that this project was made possible by their generous donations."

But, dollars to pay the cost of dismantling the octopus mural and bringing it to his new studio on High Avenue SW, as well as money needed for materials to get started on recreating the artwork, are needed soon if Morgan can start working on it by the beginning of 2024. He hopes to complete "Medusa" by the middle of the year. That's why he originated the GoFundMe page to cover such immediate expenditures.

"I'm looking to take it down (this week) and get it in here," he said. "I don't know if it will make it though another winter. It's really fading and falling apart."

Mural is a local landmark

Morgan noted that individuals who make a donation of $500 or more toward "Medusa" will receive a limited edition print, signed by him and numbered, of his "Common Ground," the artwork that graces a wall in Canton City Hall.

"It's a nice piece, probably the nicest I've ever done," Morgan said. "It represents Canton growing ... It represents hope for the future and progress."

Still, among his pieces of public art, "Polypus" serves as his most significant landmark for the city of Canton.

"This piece has received national press," he said. "Every year after Hall of Fame (Festival) week I am contacted by at least two people from out of state expressing their love for the piece. All that is on the mural is my signature. If two people go to all the trouble of looking up that signature and tracking me down, I figure hundreds of people have been influenced by it and just haven't gone to all that effort of finding me.

"I believe it promotes our city as a creative contender in public art."

Reach Gary at gary.brown.rep@gmail.com. On Twitter: @gbrownREP

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Canton artist raising funds to restore downtown Polypus public art