Murals & Public Art
Read time: 4 minutes
Hi friend-
Thank you for signing up for the inaugural edition of The Bear Necessities! I’ve been looking for a way to connect with you outside of the hellscape that is 2025 social media, so I’m excited you’re here. I look forward to sharing my takes — and hearing yours.
Our new mural
This was a full-circle week for me. In 2015, I purchased a little building on Success Ave with the dream of someday adding a cool tenant and a cool mural. Things looked a lot different 10 years ago: the Razorback Greenway was brand new, Maple Avenue had not been extended to Park Street, and the Luther George glow up wasn’t yet in motion. These days, there’s a lot happening in this area of Downtown, and I hope to share more about it in upcoming letters.
After 10 years, the cool tenant and the cool mural came true.
@accesspoint_movementspace — an incredible Northwest Arkansas-based movement studio — is making the building their new home and the building now has a mural by Chilean-born, New Jersey-based artist @loretoh.art (big thanks to Arts One Presents!).
We were honored to host Loretoh in Springdale while she was in town helping fellow Chilean-born, Harlem-based artist @el_cekis install a gigantic mural at the new Walmart campus.
Public art in Springdale
If you’re not already aware, murals and public art play a vital role in enriching communities. They are a powerful medium for storytelling and cultural preservation as well as a driver of economic growth. And let’s not forget — people just love murals.
So, what does support for public art look like at the city level?
Funding - much of the financial support for public art comes from philanthropic and private sources. The City of Springdale’s 2025 budget does not include a line for public art.
Governance & Policy - The Downtown Master Plan recommends the creation of a “Springdale Arts and Culture Commission that will develop and guide the City’s Arts and Cultural Action Plan.”
Distribution - Most public art in Springdale is concentrated Downtown.
Partnerships & Community Engagement - This is where Springdale shines! Our collection of artists, nonprofits, philanthropic organizations, and businesses collaborate often to deliver a variety of public art-related programs and events.
What else could we do?
Here are a couple of wild ideas.
1) Hire a full-time city employee focused on arts and culture.
In 2024, the City attempted to hire a Planner II - Arts & Culture position.
It was a big job — responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating citywide public art policies and programs. The role would also manage the public art collection, coordinate cultural events, and serve as liaison to the to-be created Springdale Art Council.
It appears the job has not been filled, but doing so would be a great first step.
2) Develop permanent and sustainable funding public art.
Percent for Art - Some municipalities across the country dedicate a fixed percentage (0.5-2%) of capital construction costs to public art.
Example: Springdale just approved a $6.9M construction contract for the extension of Don Tyson to 112. If we set aside 0.5% of that budget, we’d create $34,500 in public art funding.
Adopt-a-Mural - The City could invite local businesses or donors to “sponsor” specific pieces on city-owned property and infrastructure.
What do you think of these ideas? It’s clear the Downtown community recognizes the value of public art and supports it — as evidenced by the number of stops on the Downtown Springdale Mural Tour.
But I’d love to see public art in every corner of our beautiful city. Wouldn’t you?
Meanwhile…
The City of Springdale hosted a ribbon-cutting for the Dr. E. Walter LeFevre Bridge, connecting Emma across from I-49 from Highway 112 to Pleasant Street. (Facebook)
️The Star on Spring, a luxury boutique hotel Downtown, opened its doors to the public on July 23. (Star on Spring)
The Springdale Planning Commission approved a large-scale development plan for Ford Avenue Flats, a 60-unit multi-family project near East Emma.
One of the most expensive transactions in Springdale for July was the $3.1M sale of 26,000 SF warehouse at 3735 Treat Ln.
