MANSFIELD, Ohio–A new wallscape is attracting attention on North Main Street just across from the Richland Carrousel Park. It’s colorful, it features local artists, and it’s a collaborative effort.
A wallscape?
A wallscape is an alternative to a billboard. It’s larger and tends to be closer to its audience—like the new one downtown. it’s on the side of a building, as opposed to free-standing and visible from a roadway. The theme for the new Mansfield wallscape is “Grow with us.”
Saturday evening a reception was held at Richland Academy to introduce the artists. Richland Academy made sense as a venue: That’s where the artists meet for classes. The artists are members of the Different Strokes senior art class at Richland Academy, a class the Area Agency on Aging subsidizes.
North Central State College Director of Marketing and Public Relations Keith Stoner was delighted with the project, which turned into a collaboration with other community groups.
“That’s what we’re all about at NC State right now: helping lift up Mansfield and this region through education and community partnerships. This collaboration with Richland Academy and Area Agency on Aging is a great example of the type of partnerships we are working to build,” Stoner said.
“The painters who supplied their vision of trees are a great example of people committed to this community. They are tremendous role models for everyone hoping to help rebuild this region. With their work they made one corner of Mansfield a little more appealing. I hope seeing their work encourages more people to get involved in their group — and with lifting up Mansfield. Because it will take everyone to make it happen.”
Stoner approached Richland Academy of the Arts Executive Director Marianne Cooper with the idea, and Cooper realized that the senior art class had enough members to produce the necessary art.
“Pat Olson happened to be here at that very moment and we were talking about it, and she said, ‘Oh my gosh, we could do trees.’ It just mushroomed from that point on,” Cooper said. Olson is a member of the art class as well as a board member at Richland Academy. She also had the idea for the project’s theme.
“The Area Agency on Aging sponsors this class. All of our 60+ classes are sponsored by the Area Agency on Aging so seniors can have positive experiences and inter-relationships with other seniors,” she added.
Marlene Karbula is the Different Strokes art instructor. The class has been held at the academy for approximately 13 years and Karbula was one of the early students. When she retired from CenturyLink, she started taking the art class and was honored when she was asked to instruct.
The Different Strokes painted trees for the wallscape. They used acrylics, but for some of their other projects they’ve done print making and watercolors. The artists included Barb Dolch, Jan West, Janet VanKuren, Kathleen Atkins, Pat Bell, instructor Marlene Karbula, Marge Ridenour, Pat Olson, Mike Addeo, Wayne Bell, Judie Collins, and Shirley Fearn. North Central State College Graphic Designer Teri Myers used the individual paintings to create the design for the wallscape.
