MANSFIELD — Richland County Transit and Mankind Murals Inc is proud to dedicate its newest addition to the downtown landscape: a vibrant mural titled “Driving Mansfield Skyline.”
This stunning hand-painted artwork, created by Mankind Murals Inc, will be officially dedicated and illuminated on Friday, December 6th, at a reception from 3:30 to 5:30 pm, at the Richland County Transit main bus station, 232 North Main Street. It all takes place right before the Christmas lighting ceremony in Downtown Mansfield, on Friday, December 6th.
The “Driving Mansfield Skyline” mural is a celebration of Mansfield’s iconic architecture and features a luminous day-to-night skyline. The 12′ x 50′ artwork, hand-painted by a team of local artists led by Luke Beekman, captures the heart of downtown Mansfield in a grand and magical way.
“This mural is a love letter to Mansfield,” said Luke Beekman, the artist behind the design. “It’s a reflection of our city’s rich history, vibrant culture, and bright future.”
The mural dedication ceremony will feature light food and drinks, including hot cider and donuts. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the artists and learn about the inspiration behind the artwork. The event will culminate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 pm and a special mural lighting at 5 pm.
The hand-painted mural was designed by local artist and nonprofit director, Luke Beekman of Mankind Murals Inc, and was accomplished with a team of artists, including muralist Robin Shoup-Wilson, Brandon Penny, Natasha Moretti, with features such as striping and a local community branding mural with painters Jason Mott and Ashley Keppel from Mankind Painting. The project is part of the Mansfield Rising Plan and the RCDG Mansfield Arts and Culture Sector’s “Public Art Initiative” where matching funds through the Richland County Foundation were available for public art projects in Downtown Mansfield. With the previous conversion of Diamond from a one-way to a two-way street, the Richland County Transit building across from the Mansfield Post Office maintains a steady flow of traffic where the mural is visible. 120’ long in total, the east-facing wall houses the Richland County bus garage, which RCT saw as an opportunity to clear some trees and transform a long visible wall to create public art that celebrates and recognizes the Mansfield skyline.
Tara Burchett of Richland County Transit had initially reached out to Luke Beekman about painting the building in 2023, on April 19th, (or (419) if you’re local). In August of last year, the plans for the mural were developed, and an extensive planning and approval process was followed, with support from the Mansfield Art Sector facilitating matching funding through the Richland County Foundation. Beekman created a rendering in April of 2024, which both the Richland County Transit Board discussed and reviewed for the initial design approval, and the Mansfield Public Art Commission which then reviews all exterior public artworks in the City of Mansfield to make sure public artworks meet community guidelines. Beekman, a longtime downtown resident, was tasked with creating a Mansfield skyline that would feel classic and encompassing and wanted to capture it with a new perspective with a sense of real magic. Mankind Murals studio is also on Diamond Street right up the street across from the carrousel, and the skyline in the mural takes direct inspiration from the brilliant sunsets over Mansfield.
The mural designs created by Beekman began as a digital collage of the Mansfield skyline, including a day-to-night sky that depicts rolling clouds over the Richland County Public Library, the St. Peter’s Cathedral, Chamber of Commerce, Richland County Foundation and Richland Carousel Park and City of Mansfield building at sunset. A small retro RCT bus is centered, Driving Mansfield Skyline, as the day fades to night over Park Avenue, and it lights up in a familiar way. The star above the historic First United Methodist Church doors is illuminated next to the modern magenta uplighting at the pink sandstone Mechanics Bank. The Mansfield landscape would not be complete without the iconic Mansfield Reformatory, which celebrated the movie magic with the 30th Anniversary of the Shawshank Redemption this year. The Welcome to Mansfield painted silos sit beneath colorful northern lights, and a luminous solar eclipse, both were rare and brilliant cosmic events that happened in our community in 2024. The mural even marks the exact time 3:14 on the City Clock that Mansfield experienced totality.
The wall had needed extensive prep before beginning the mural and was pressure washed, scraped, and primed in June. The approved design was then projected and outlined in July, and the mural was painted over the next few months before finally wrapping up this month in November, culminating in over 300 hours of artists’ work. The mural is also being lit with upgrades to the exterior flood light to create more ambient lighting, as well as mural spotlighting, accentuating the effect of the day-to-night scene with an industrial power ultraviolet blacklight.
Richland County Transit has also gone through a transformational year as their mural was a work in progress, adding services such as bussing during Final Fridays, and offering free transportation on key holiday dates this year to expand access to rides.
Murals and public art have helped signify the growth and development of Mansfield, and specifically highlights that we have a vibrant community that celebrates its culture. Especially these past three years, during the Public Art Initiative, the downtown area has flourished even more at the crossroads of arts and culture. While the grant funding project will sunset at the end of this year, there are many celebrated public works which have been accomplished: The Mansfield Rising Plan “Public Art Initiative” has involved over 38 artists, in a variety of projects at over 10 downtown locations, ranging from hand-painted murals, reproductions of artwork on vinyl, hand painted exterior canvas installation, painted crosswalks, memorial walls, and story-worthy murals.
Besides seeing the metrics of murals and public art continuing to grow, Beekman hopes to see public art continue to grow as a platform for the community to thrive and for people to identify our city with a sense of pride. Join us on December 6th to celebrate this mural dedication and illumination of our city, “Driving Mansfield Skyline”!
About Richland County Transit:
Richland County Transit is committed to providing safe, reliable, and accessible transportation services to the residents of Mansfield and Richland County.
About Mankind Murals Inc.:
Mankind Murals Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a platform for public art and community to thrive.