Musing on Coweta’s Murals

Written by FRANCES KIDD    |    Photos courtesy of THE NEWNAN TIMES-HERALD

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a mural is a work of art “applied to and made integral with a wall or ceiling surface.”

Humans have been drawing, writing and painting on walls since the beginning of time, from cave walls, to the Roman Empire, to Renaissance Italy. Remains of early petroglyphs (rock carvings) and pictographs (rock paintings) can be found throughout the United States. However, art was not the primary purpose of these works; they were early forms of communication.

In modern history, artists Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall, among others, created murals in Western Europe and the United Kingdom.

During the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Federal Art Project as part of his New Deal. According to “The American Experience” on PBS, the project supported thousands of artists by funding the creation of 2,566 murals and 17,744 pieces of sculpture to decorate public buildings across the country. These federal arts programs brought more art to more Americans than ever before. Artists were drawn to create murals as individual and experimental modes of expression as well as the interpretation of social and political problems.

In recent decades, a renewed interest in murals has been taking place beyond urban landscapes into smaller towns and rural communities. In many cases, the wall art has been a catalyst for positive change and revitalized local pride. Murals can reflect local history, culture and identity by depicting landmarks and historical events. They promote local culture and help ensure that future generations stay connected to their roots. They can contribute to a community’s recreational life and enhance tourism. Or they can simply be something to discover and enjoy.

The South’s old brick buildings have long made the perfect canvas for artists. In Coweta, murals provide a great way to learn more about the community’s history and culture.

Newnan’s Faces and Places

One of Newnan’s oldest murals is “Faces and Places,” located on LaGrange Street on the side of Vinylyte Records and Skate shop (for many years Scott’s Bookstore). Painted in 1998 by artist Ans Steenmeijer, the now-fading artwork was commissioned by the City of Newnan and funded by a combination of public and private contributions.

It’s hard to miss due to its size: 16 feet high and 76 feet wide. Earlene Scott, owner of the old bookstore, was there when Steenmeijer worked on the piece and got to know her. Born and educated in Amsterdam, Steenmeijer resisted the urging of her father, a muralist, to join him in his work. She opted for fashion art, but eye problems necessitated a shift to murals as her art form, and she soon realized she preferred them.

Her fondness for the South shows in this piece, which explores Newnan history through images including churches, the Patchwork Barn at Dunaway Gardens, the county jail and antebellum homes. Some of Coweta’s preeminent citizens are portrayed: Georgia governors Ellis Arnall and William Atkinson; author and humorist Lewis Grizzard; Newnan’s first Black doctor, John Henry Gordon; and “Sam” Soucy as a true Southern Belle.

“The mural was well-received in the community,” recalls Scott. “As long as I was at the bookstore, tourists would come in and ask questions about it – who was on it and its history. Often they bought books, too, usually ‘A Taste of Georgia’ and ‘Murder in Coweta County.’”

Chickens and chamber music

Charles Wadsworth is an acclaimed pianist and chamber music giant. Many know he grew up in Newnan, but not everyone knows he had a job butchering chickens for a small family grocery on Jefferson Street. The alley behind the store has been christened Wadsworth Alley, and the Newnan-Coweta Art Association did murals there to celebrate Wadsworth’s chicken story. The alley is currently undergoing improvements, but the chicken art can be viewed from the entrance on Madison Street.

ArtRez murals

Four murals in Coweta were created by artists in residence at Newnan ArtRez. In 2016, Molly Rose Freeman was commissioned by ArtRez and the University of West Georgia to create a mural on the Alamo wall facing West Washington Street. The inspiration Freeman got from the local landscape is reflected in the organic patterns and colors of her work.

Another artist in residence, Cory Barksdale, worked in Newnan in the fall of 2016. His lively and colorful mural of jazz musicians is at the corner of Spring and Perry streets.

Barksdale returned to Newnan in early 2017 to paint a mural celebrating diversity on the side of the Wesley Street gymnasium. Barksdale’s work is enhanced by the use of vibrant colors and the masterful strokes that breathe life into his creations.

In 2018, artist-in-residence Tim Davis painted the mural celebrating Alan Jackson, Newnan’s favorite country music son, on the side of Redneck Gourmet on Jefferson Street. Davis was recommended by Jackson’s office and had previous experience with country music figures, having painted “Legends,” a mural in Nashville that features a group of renowned country artists from different eras – all sitting at the same table.

Destination art in Sharpsburg

In the fall of 2020, former Sharpsburg Mayor Blue Cole wanted to do something for students at East Coweta High School that would also beautify an old container at the Sharpsburg Community Center. Local artist Margo Merrifield, then-president of the Newnan-Coweta Art Association, designed the mural and worked with a group to create it. Four dream catchers were painted, each one to represent a graduating class from 2021 to 2024.

“Our goal was to give the seniors a memorable senior picture and a place to make a memory,” says Cole. “We used to have Coca-Cola murals on a building in downtown Sharpsburg, and I wanted to bring a mural back for this generation of kids to remember. Choosing something ECHS-related was easy. The school and students are a huge part of our community. The other positives that came out of it – the pandemic pictures and making an ugly green storage container into a destination – were just a bonus.”

Vintage wall art in Senoia

Baggarly Way is a narrow one-way street running parallel to Senoia’s Main Street. The folks at Pearl & Pine Brewery commissioned a mural on one side of their beer garden on Main Street, and Georgia artist Shannon Lake created a stunning replica of a vintage postcard.

“We wanted something everyone could be proud of and also help drive tourism, storytelling and ‘Instagrammable’ moments,” says brewery owner Jason Pace. “We wanted it to speak to both Senoia’s proud history and showcase the brewery business. Each letter in Senoia visually communicates fun facts about the city.”

Coming home to paint

Artists who come into Newnan and create a mural leave behind a wonderful gift for the community. It’s extra nice when the artist is local or a former local comes back to visit their work.

“I decided a few years ago that I wanted to make larger art that was happy and uplifting,” local muralist Amber Stidham told The Newnan Times-Herald in 2018.

She achieved that in the mural on the side wall of the Atlanta Trek store at 9 West Broad Street. The scene is a girl joyfully blowing five bubbles, each containing a scene from around Newnan. Jim Thomasson, the building owner, commissioned the mural. Stidham also created a mural in Lynch Park.

Teens paint tunnel murals

In 2018 the City of Newnan commissioned artist John Christian of Go Georgia Arts to work with a group of Newnan High School students to paint murals in two tunnels along the LINC trail. The students’ team had created the winning design, and Christian worked with them to bring their vision to life.

The LINC murals are listed on The Georgia Mural Trail, which was created by Christian, who died in December 2022. Initially, the trail started as a five-year commitment to paint 50 murals in 50 cities, focusing on smaller cities and towns under 10,000 people. The program later grew to include larger cities with a population under 50,000.

Wall art that’s “left behind”

Film and television production companies that have worked in Coweta have left behind gifts of murals, including two in Grantville. One is a wall from “The Walking Dead.” The other is a replica of a vintage Coke sign.

The Walking Dead Wall is on Church Street, just past its intersection with Lone Oak Street. Continue on Church Street toward the railroad tracks past Beyond Mountains Coffee, and there’s the Coca-Cola sign on a wall on Moreland Street. It may look vintage, but it’s a gift from the filming of the 2023 production of “The Color Purple.”

On an exterior wall of the old Grantville theater on Main Street, a veterans memorial in the form of a mural was installed by local veterans about 20 years ago, according to resident Selma Coty. NCM