The Broad Street parking lot shines brighter now in uptown Martinsville with the new “Rooting for the Same Hope” mural.
The 300-foot-long mural on a low wall facing the Big Chair, along the former American of Martinsville showroom which now houses Community Storehouse, is a vibrant bluish teal with flowers and reaching hands.
The mural was started in June, and a crowd celebrated its unveiling on July 27.
The mural was a joint initiative of Piedmont Arts, the City of Martinsville, the Martinsville Sheriff’s Office, the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, Martinsville Uptown, and property owners the Martin family, with $10,000 in funding through The Harvest Foundation’s Project Hope grant.
The 23,000-square-foot mural was painted by 40 local volunteers under the design and guidance of artist John Murrill of Roanoke.
“It reflects the diverse makeup of our community,” said Chamber President Brenell Thomas.
Murrill “captured the diversity of Martinsville and Henry County with local details to symbolize the collective hope for progress and a more inclusive community,” she said.
Murrill has been to Martinsville many times, including participating in Piedmont Arts’ Expressions exhibit, where he has won Best in Show, said Piedmont Arts Executive Director Heidi Pinkston. He had a solo show in 2019 and has taught at Virginia Western Community College and Patrick Henry High School. He retired from teaching in the spring to dedicate his time to murals.
“My predecessor, Lisa Watkins, was intentional in her vision to afford all populations – youth, disabled, seasoned adults, families, community citizens, business teams – just everyone had the opportunity to participate in this community mural project,” Thomas said.
The size and scale of the mural and the hot sun under which the painters worked created many challenges, Murrill said, “but because this was something that Martinsville truly accepted and wanted to be a part of, it made it such a joyful experience.”
“You want the community to celebrate with you, to participate, to see it, to find joy in that … bringing a mural like this to uptown is such an amazing opportunity,” Murrill said.
The mural shows vibrant flowers and arms with bracelets around the wrists. The bracelets have messages representing different cultures and “what makes Martinsville such a great area to live in,” Murrill said. The flowers are representative of the area, and the bees are a nod to Martinsville’s being a Bee City USA.
“This is a beautiful and remarkable piece,” said Mayor LC Jones. “It’s a great symbolization and representation of the diversity and the culture here in Martinsville, and how there are so many different people here, and that’s what really makes us great … It shows the resilience that we have, and I see that in the partnerships that brought this piece together.”
“We all sweated together and worked in the sun, and they made this possible,” Murrill said of the volunteers.
“Public art is an important part of any great community,” said Pinkston.
“It enriches our physical environment. It brings streetscapes and buildings to life. It is a great tool for civic engagement and builds social capital. It provides professional artists with opportunities. It boosts local economies. It’s an investment in place-making measured by livability, quality of life, and promoting community pride,” Pinkston said.
“This mural is a wonderful addition to the many public art pieces that we have in Martinsville and Henry County,” she said.
