Stairway Mural Art for Mount Trashmore
Stairway Mural Art for Mount Trashmore
Please vote for your favorite design! Survey Open through March 7, 2018.
The City of Virginia Beach Office of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the Department of Parks and Recreation, sought out local artists to propose art concepts for a temporary painted mural on the stairwell next to Kids Cove. The submissions for the Mount Trashmore Stairway mural have come in, and now we need your help! The next step in the mural process depends on you. Please review the three designs and descriptions below, then vote for your favorite design and be a part of making our City more beautiful!
*Only one entry per survey participant. Click each image to enlarge.
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Kelsey Witt
About the Artist:
The first time I walked the stairs of Mount Trashmore, I was a freshman in high school running track. The top of the hill was the starting line, and like any awkward teen, I distinctly remember being extremely nervous and stumbling on the top step as I approached all my friends. Over the years as I grew, I have visited Mount Trashmore various other times and climbed the stairs to the top. When I saw the opportunity arise to paint the stairs, I couldn’t help myself. I would actually get to leave my mark on a set of stairs which so frequently touched memories in my life. I want to encourage all those who walk the flight of stairs after me with a positive outlook. There is so much negativity in this world, I want to bring color and happiness into the the lives of the people who walk these stairs for the next five to ten years.
Artist Statement:
“I propose that for this mural I work my way from red at the top all the way down to purple at the bottom. Each stair becoming slowly each color in the spectrum. In contrast, I would create a pattern that overlays the stairs in the opposite color on the spectrum. For example: a blue stair would have an orange pattern overlay and vice versa. I am a lover of color and patterns, and I feel as though each stair could act as its own piece of art while at the same time acting as a larger piece. In the end it would be an overlay of a rainbow of patterns sitting on the contrasting rainbow of color. As much as I hate walking up stairs, I would walk up these stairs any day.”
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Aimee Bruce
About the Artist:
Aimee Bruce graduated from Old Dominion University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a concentration in drawing and design in 2016. She currently lives in Norfolk, Virginia, where she works as a freelance artist and muralist. Bruce is known to work with varying forms of mixed media while exploring topics ranging from the aesthetically pleasing to the politically playful.
Artist Statement: “Helping Hands”
“I propose painting this mural design for the Mount Trashmore Stairway. My concept behind this design references Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam visually, however, I wanted to focus on the hands themselves. I believe the community as a whole tries to interact and connect with each other to establish a stronger bond between people of all races, religions, genders, etc. When I think of Mount Trashmore, I think of the people and positive encounters I have experienced there.”
Rick Nickel
About the Artist:
“I am happy to have made artwork in my adopted state of Virginia. It has been an amazing fifteen years of exploring the beautiful and varied roads of our part of this state. The artist community has grown in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, and I have seen the connections develop and the communication increasing between the cities through the arts. As the communities grow, each city has shown a reason to express the joy of new families, new developments by celebrating through the arts. I love how Virginia Beach is leading the way in engaging the arts in the community. I hope to continue working with the art community to celebrate the beauty of Virginia.
Artist Statement:
“Playgrounds are for families. From slides to kites, Mount Trashmore has kept families fit, laughing and sharing time with each other since 1974. My stair designs will add another way to have fun at Mount Trashmore and celebrate the park. The swimmer represents the enjoyment of self-empowerment and freedom of the water. It represents the joy of enjoying water and the ability to move forward in life.”