MANSFIELD — Luke Beekman wanted to create a “modern, yet timeless” mural of Mansfield’s iconic architecture.
The founder/ director of Mankind Murals Inc. and designer of the “Driving Mansfield Skyline” artwork hosted a formal ribbon-cutting and lighting ceremony for the 120-foot-long mural on Dec. 6.
“Thank you everyone involved for allowing us to create this mural,” Beekman said. “It’s been a real privilege to be a part of this project and to represent Richland County.”
Beekman designed the mural and painted it with local artists Robin Shoup Wilson, Natasha Moretti and Brandon Penny. Mankind Painting’s Jason Mott and Ashley Keppel also assisted.
The mural is approximately 120-feet wide and 12-feet high, located on the side of the Richland County Transit bus garage at 232 N. Main St.
Mayor Jodie Perry congratulated the artists and RCT at a ribbon-cutting on Friday, and thanked the muralists for incorporating BrandRichland’s slogan.
“I followed this project from the arts commission to here, and driving by seeing it come to life is amazing,” she said.
“When the arts and culture sector can collaborate with Richland County Transit and these other organizations, it really shows our community is invested in public art. I think the more art we can have, the better.”
Beekman said RCT assistant general manager Tara Burchett reached out to him in spring 2023 about the possibility of painting the garage. He submitted renderings for edits, and began outlining the mural in the summer, after the wall was pressure washed and primed.
“The first draft I submitted had more magical realism with things in the sky, but when we dialed it in, we focused on the landscape and natural magical realism with the eclipse and northern lights,” Beekman said.
Mural illuminated nightly
The mural features iconic buildings in Richland County including the downtown library, Richland County Foundation, the Chamber of Commerce, Richland Carrousel, Ohio State Reformatory, Town and Country Co-op’s silos, St. Peter’s Catholic Church, St. John’s United Church of Christ, Mechanics Bank and the municipal building.
The clock tower outside of the municipal building in the mural is painted with the time of 3:14 p.m., when Mansfield experienced the total solar eclipse this year. The moon’s shadow from the eclipse is painted at the center of the mural with a matte black paint.
“That color doesn’t reflect any light, so it almost looks like a black hole and it really makes the rest of the mural pop, especially when it’s lit up,” Beekman said.
The mural will be illuminated from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. each night.
“Driving Mansfield Skyline” also features an RCT bus, Carrousel figures, and Jericho recovery wall “graffiti” on a train — spray painted by Shannon Volz. The project took the artists involved more than 300 hours of work.
Beekman said the mural will be sealed with a clear coat of paint to keep it in good condition, hopefully for decades.
Beekman also noted the skyline includes the northern lights, which were visible from Mansfield this fall, and also references the “Luminous City” mural in town.
“Driving Mansfield Skyline” is part of the Public Art Initiative put in place by the Mansfield Rising downtown investment plan and Richland Community Development Group. The mural earned funding from the Richland County Foundation through the Mansfeld Art Sector.
“It’s been a spectacular year for public art and for our city,” Beekman said. “Especially these past three years, during the Public Art Initiative, the downtown area has flourished even more at the crossroads of arts and culture.”