Town of Clayton To Unveil New Mural June 5

The public is invited to Hocutt-Ellington Memorial Library at 1 p.m. on June 5 for an unveiling of the Town of Clayton’s latest public art piece--a colorful mural depicting the life and times of Clayton.

Jim Brown of Clayton, a freelance illustrator/designer, was commissioned in February to create the work of art, which includes 44 different vignettes of historical figures and landmarks as well as representations of business, civic and cultural life.

Brown and his wife, Ginny, who is also an illustrator/designer, started working on the piece in March.

“What stands out about the mural is the wide range of subjects and the illustrator’s attention to detail,” says Suzette Rodriguez, chairman of the town’s Public Art Advisory Board, which is directing the art project. “When people see the finished work, their jaws are going to drop. It’s that impressive.”

The mural is 10 feet tall and stretches about 27 feet down the hallway connecting the library’s primary collection to the south wing. People visiting the library have been able to watch the Browns at work.

In December, the Advisory Board selected Brown for the project after reviewing applications from 12 other artists. In January, the group hosted public meetings so that citizens could offer the artist ideas for the mural’s subject matter.

The unveiling in June will include an open house of the library from 1 till 3 p.m. At this time the public is invited to view the completed mural and meet the artist. The unveiling and open house events coincide with the Millstock Music and Art Festival, an annual celebration sponsored by Clayton Visual Arts and the Town of Clayton Downtown Development Association.

Funding for the mural was provided by the Town of Clayton, Clayton Visual Arts, Hocutt-Ellington’s Friends of the Library and the Woman’s Club of Clayton.

The library mural is the Town of Clayton’s second public art project. Last year, Dorothy Demboski painted a 10-foot by 10-foot mural titled “Clayton Patchwork” on an upstairs wall of the Clayton Center.