Not long after receiving blessing from the Pine Bluff City Council, a new mural adorns the northern wall of a building at 300 S. Main St.
The mural, unveiled during a Wednesday ceremony on the intersection of Third Avenue and Main, is the result of a partnership between the Pine Bluff Urban Renewal Agency and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Department of Art and Design. The design highlights different musical instruments and honors Pine Bluff's musical legacy with a hashtag: #PBMusicalLegacy.
Pine Bluff was a common stop on the Chitlin' Circuit, which gave African American musicians and other entertainers a safe space for their acts during 20th-century segregation. Jonathan Wright, a professor of art and design at UAPB, said plans for a cultural district to honor the Chitlin' Circuit inspired the university to work on a commissioned piece that focused on music and would be part of the music wing.
The mural artists were Zach Webb, Robert Butler, Austin Dunn, Jalen Macon and DaMarion Vinson.
"We're going to magnify this," said Ryan Watley, CEO of Go Forward Pine Bluff, of which Urban Renewal is a function. "This will not be the last one we think we do. A lot of work needs to be done down here, and this is just a prelude to what can happen if we just further the work."
Watley added the students' work will help UAPB "grow in size and stature."
Urban Renewal set aside $30,000 for the project, which allowed the students to receive a stipend, according to an April article in The Commercial. The City Council in March approved a resolution to allow mural painting by UAPB students on city-owned buildings.
The previous mural reflected a 1905 photo of members of an automobile club in Jefferson County who were said to take their autos on the road for a "Main Event" after the photo was taken.
Jimmy Dill, chairman of the local Urban Renewal board, said he was president of Downtown Development in the city when his commission was in charge of posting murals on multiple buildings downtown. The murals are starting to age now, he said.
"They've really been a good part of Pine Bluff, and there's been a lot of traffic downtown," Dill said. "But to see what the students have done on this building makes me proud."
A mural honoring Pine Bluff's musical legacy is displayed on the northern exterior of 300 S. Main St. The mural was formally unveiled during downtown ceremony Wednesday. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
From left, UAPB art professor Jonathan Wright, UAPB interim provost Andrea Stewart, Department of Art and Design Chair Karen DeJarnette and School of Arts and Sciences interim Dean Grant Wangila closely examine a newly revealed mural at 300 S. Main St. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)