Over twenty Project Jericho teenagers are immersed in the painting of a large outdoor mural in downtown Springfield. All of the participating youth have been engaged in Project Jericho’s spring and summer programming including printmaking and photography modules, as well as the annual week-long Summer Arts Camp.
Mariah Kaminsky, a Durango, CO based mural artist is once again leading Project Jericho’s young artists in the creation of a vibrant, one-of-a-kind mural. Kaminsky returns to Springfield after working with Project Jericho in 2017 to create the “Catching Light” mural located at the Clark County Solid Waste District’s recycling center on W. Main Street.
The Rose City mural located at 10 E. Main Street on the east facing wall of the Starrett & Fried building is a celebration of Springfield’s vibrant history of being the “floral center of the world” from the late 1800s until the 1930s. Springfield’s local greenhouses were responsible for producing, selling and shipping out over 20 million plants each year, 7 million of which were roses.
The imagery of the roses featured in the mural are all pulled from the Turner Foundation’s collection of vintage seed catalogues from local wholesale and mail order floral businesses. The unique script logo of the McGregor Bros. Co. is included in the mural design to pay homage to the time period, as well as the McGregor family and their faithful and generous investments into the Springfield community, including this project.
Project Jericho has worked closely with the Turner Foundation and the Downtown Public Art Committee to see this mural to fruition.
On Tuesday, August 27 from 5-6:30 p.m. the community is invited to attend the celebration and dedication of the mural located on site at the newly renovated outdoor space next to the Bushnell building.
Project Jericho is a program of Clark State Community College supported through funding from Clark County Department of Job and Family Services, the Ohio Arts Council, The Turner Foundation, Clark County Juvenile Court and private contributions.
This project is supported through funding from the Turner Foundation and the McGregor family.
For more information, contact Project Jericho at 937-328-3869 or visit Project Jericho online at http://www.project-jericho.com.