Downtown Greenville Mural Project
The committee planning Main Street Greenville’s Downtown Greenville Mural Project is working to bring diverse public art to enhance and enliven our downtown landscape. While the unique history and heritage of Greenville is important to this effort, bringing a sense of fun as well as beauty to our streets is also a goal. These public works of art will enhance and enliven our public spaces, and encourage both residents and visitors to explore our downtown and its many attractions. Grants, corporate sponsorships, and public participation are vital to the continuing success of the project which has already produced art created by Greenville High School art students to decorate downtown power boxes, and will soon see artwork adorning downtown walls.
Greetings From Downtown Greenville
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G—U.S. Post Office in Greenville
R—Darke County Court House
E—Monument of Battle of Ft. Jefferson
E—Greenville City Park lagoon
N—St. Clair Memorial Hall
V—Greenville Public Library
I—Greenville City Park windmill
L—Greenville Junior High/High School
L - Marling Band Shell
E—U.S. Post Office in Greenville
This mural recreates a postcard sold in 1952 in downtown Greenville's McClurg's Book Store, located at 521 South Broadway; the postcard was created by Curt Teich and Company, which operated in Chicago for over 70 years prior to its 1978 closing. Opened as Gibson and Wenger Book Shop in 1910, the local store was purchased by Ray Wenger in 1915, who owned it until 1951. In 1950, Merle Oliver and Roy McClurg were proprietors of the wholesale business selling books, office supplies and equipment, stationery, and school supplies. Generations of youngsters and their parents visited the store in early September to purchase school books as well as Golden Rod tablets, Crayola crayons and other supplies required for all local schools.
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This postcard was discovered at Garst Museum, part of a collection created by long-time Greenville resident Kay Brown, whose son Dick had digitized his mother's compilation. The image itself was then digitized and enlarged by Timothy Wells of Timothy Wells Art Consulting, and printed on vinyl as a 20 foot by 50 foot mural by Joe Wintrow at Wintrow Signs and Designs. Reproductions of the Greetings from Greenville design as a real postcard are available for sale at the Hive Collective on Broadway.
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The Greenville/Darke County images reproduced on the postcard are shown to the left.
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Watch here for a time-lapse view of the mural installation.
May 23, 2023
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GREENVILLE — The Greenville Mural Committee of Main Street Greenville has powered up its plans for murals in downtown Greenville. Working on an overall design, the first phase is for the installation of seven smaller power box murals, the “Art is Power” program. Larger murals on walls will follow in the coming year. The power box murals will energize downtown and be installed by Main Street Greenville’s First Friday Artisan Stroll on Aug. 4.
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The power box murals and the large-scale murals in the first round will be produced as digital prints on vinyl with the help of Joe Wintrow of Wintrow Signs, who is donating this service to produce the students’ work. Wintrow added that he is excited to be part of beautifying downtown Greenville and is glad to be part of the committee and to see the work of the students displayed throughout the downtown area. Eileen Litchfield, coordinator of the Art is Power project, credit Wintrow for bringing the idea to the Mural Committee.
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Students who will have their designs on the power boxes are Natalie Evans (West Water Street and South Broadway), Skylar Fletcher (YOLO Park corner), Briana “Rowen” Flory (East Main and Walnut), Sami Frens (East Third St. and South Broadway), Kate Garber (East Fourth St. and South Broadway), Bella Ornelas (West Main and Sycamore), and Lexi Slade (East Fifth St. and South Broadway).
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The artwork was created by graduating senior students in the Career Arts Program at Greenville High School. Students whose work was selected were presented with a $100 stipend, provided by Rotary of Greenville. The works were judged by members of the Main Street Greenville board and its Design Committee as well as the Mural Committee members. The winning entries will be digitized and enlarged to vinyl wraps on the power boxes. All of the students’ submitted artwork will be displayed at the Artisan Stroll. April Brubaker, director of Main Street Greenvile, said, “I was so impressed with all of the students’ work.” She called the project amazing and believes this will instill a sense of pride in the community. She hopes projects like this will inspire local youth. “They are our future,” she said.
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Mural Committee members include Brubaker, Litchfield, Wintrow, Dick Brown, Deb Shiverdecker, Matt Steyer, Jennifer Overholser, Tim Wells, Andrea Jordan, Marilyn Delk, Stephanie Schieltz-Lowder, Tamera McNulty, Greg Billing and Ashley Austerman.
Murals meet the Main Street Greenville mission of revitalizing downtown. Watch for these smaller murals and more larger ones. “Art is Power” is the first jolt.