I love taking the time to walk around a town and discover their local art. Hutchinson has a beautiful mural scene as well as sculpture display. We took some time on our second day to walk around town and find as many murals as we could. And to help us, we used their handy mural map. Take the tour with us.
This is the Ad Astra Mural located on South Walnut. It is one of the oldest murals in downtown Hutchinson.
This colorful mural was designed by Shaelee Mendenhall and is entitled Community Mural. This painting represents all of the Hutchinson landmarks. We stood before it and tried to find them all. Can you name them?
The story behind the Rainbow Lion is really interesting. This mural was commissioned by Bob and Ann Bush after a trip to Portland. They took note of all the hand painted murals around the city and thought that Hutchinson needed something like this as well. After several meetings with different art firms, Bob landed with TECH art program. There were several artist's in the running, but in the end, Bob chose TECH artist Jerimiah Tolbert.
When asked why a lion, Bob replied "Lions represent Respect, Confidence, Strength, Determination, and many other positive emotions." He went on to say "This is something we, as a community (Pride), need to always remember, both personally and as a whole." The project was completed in 2018 and Bob, along with this wife, committed to maintaining the graphics over the next 10 years.
Designed by Rebekah Keasling, the seal on this 150th Anniversary Mural incorporates elements from the identities of the City of Hutchinson and Reno County to promote their Sesquicentennial. What's really cool is that the mural was painted by local volunteers through the Hutchinson Sculpture Art Walk and funded by a Make it Greater grant.
This mural is located inside the Farmer's Market.
The Inspire Mural was Joel's favorite for this very reason. The inspirational words throughout this building long piece.
This mural, entitled Triptych Murals, was painted by three local TECH artists, Jocelyn Woodson, Brady Scott (who also painted the Barn Owl, Pleasant Pheasant, Bison Trail, and Farmer Time), and Julie Black. The left painting was created by Woodson, the middle by Scott, and the right by Black. Jennifer Randall had the idea for the mural so that local artists could create something that would be dedicated to their hometown of Hutchinson.
My favorite mural was one I took as a video, and wouldn't you know it, it's too large to share! It's a mural along a drainage ditch inspiring everyone to protect our water ways as everything flows to the ocean. It's painted in a rainbow design and I just loved it. Check out Instagram for the video!
There were so many we couldn't get to before our trip was over. Another reason to head back this summer for the State Fair, right?
Thank you, Hutchinson, for such an enlightening weekend! We learned so much from your lovely town and made memories we will take with us for years!
XO,
Andrea
*This is a sponsored post, but all thoughts and photographs are my own.
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