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Grace Wolf · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 527

If you haven't had the chance to swing by the Nachman Building, the Council for the Arts of Herndon has commissioned a new outdoor mural, Herndon Past and Present! It's in the process of being painted, by the same graffiti artists who did the graffiti art demo at the Skatepark this past fall. CAH is paying for the install, has set aside funding for maintenance, and is planning on gifting the mural to the Town at the opening night of the Herndon Festival! These are specialty spray paints that were ordered from Germany - the wall will be sealed when completed and the work is estimated to be in good shape for 5+ years before maintenance is even needed. It'll be a great addition to our downtown.

You can see the sketch on the Herndon Arts Council's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Herndon-Arts-Council/57440879858) or mine (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Councilmember-Grace-Han-Wolf/112509145466255). The style of artwork is known as photo realism and it's going to be quite spectacular when it's done. CAH has sent press releases out to the local media as well as the Post and is hoping for some coverage closer to completion. Please stop by to visit the artists as they work on it and say hello! CAH will be posting pictures of the work in progress on it's Facebook page (just as soon as I get over there to take some!).

It's a fantastic piece of artwork and a wonderful gift to the Town. Hope to see you all at it's official unveiling and do stop by and say hello to the guys. They are all young artists trying to make it with day jobs and pursuing their passion on the weekends, when it's not raining!

Vicky Dorman · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 382

It is amazing what these artists can do with spray paint. Make sure you go by, they have gotten quite a lot done in just three days without rain. I believe today they are working on the section that portrays the Herndon High School Band in the Homecoming Parade and possibly the sky area. Please let the Council for the Arts know what you think of this mural.

demosthenes · Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:56 am Post subject:

It would have been nicer had it been done on the Artspace building.
Any plans on updating that?
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Vicky Dorman · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 382

This post is about the mural that the Council for the Arts of Herndon has commissioned as a gift to the Town of Herndon, to honor the history and culture of Herndon thru Art. Let us know what you think about this mural as you drive past it. Whatever new art projects at other walls may or may not be done can wait.

What do those of you who have gone by this mural think of it?

Grace Wolf · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 527

Hi Demosthenes,

The Artspace Building is leased to a separate arts non profit group (Herndon is lucky to have so many!), the Foundation for the Cultural Arts (www.herndonartscenter.org/) and they have a separate website, slightly more updated at (http://artspaceherndon.com/)

The Council for the Arts of Herndon (CAH), also a 501(c)3 non profit and the Town's official arts agency, is not the group that currently leases the Artspace facility and as such, has no control over that building. That is a great suggestion and I would suggest you forward that to them - perhaps they too would like to put up a new, artistic mural in our downtown that will enhance our community!

CAH was approached by the Nachman Building owners to redo the mural that had been painted and donated by a CAH board member. After discussions with the owners, with the Town (HPRB, Parks & Rec, ARB), and the CAH Board, CAH commissioned artists to create an appropriate historic and artistic mural as a gift to the Town. CAH is working with the Town to officially unveil the mural and donate it to the Town at the Opening Night of the Herndon Festival.

It's been an expensive project - insurance, renting the cherry picker, ordering the specialty aeresol paints from Germany, resealing the wall, feeding our artists (They are all young guys working around their other 'real' jobs to achieve their passion as commercial artists!).

Hope you can all go by and see the work in progress -- I drove by tonight and it's amazing how cool it looks already! Certainly not everyone will find it to their taste - beauty is in the eye of the beholder and one person's discards can be the next person's treasures. But I do hope you enjoy the scene and the end product! Let us know what you and others think!

demosthenes · Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 10:15 am Post subject:

Grace Wolf · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 527

Great article and photos in today's Herndon Patch!
http://herndon.patch.com/articles/artists-create-downtown-mural-honoring-towns-history

jeremy · Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 6:16 am Post subject:

I like the mural a lot, especially the use of "photographs" within the mural.

However I have one criticism... when cars are parked in front of it a lot of the subject matter will be obscured. I wish the artists had taken that into account when they composed the piece.

Still... thumbs up for a great addition to the downtown streetscape. Smile

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