Vandalia Community Paint Day shows City pride

By Contessa Hussong

Vandalia creatives left their mark during the city’s Community Paint Day on Saturday, May 18.

Helping fill Vandalia’s latest downtown mural, locals of all ages gathered to share not just a vision but an outpouring of support for the project. The completed painting will pay homage to its location at J. Spivey Photography through its design, but the studio’s owner hopes it will be much more than that to passersby.

“I hope it brings a sense of pride, just having the word ‘Vandalia’ [on it],” Justin Spivey said. “I’m grateful for everything the city has done, just their willingness to add creative, visual aspects to the community.”

Spivey also hopes the mural will become a place for residents and travelers alike to snap pictures of their own. Featuring an old Polaroid camera and a variety of painted pictures, the mural has the potential to become a downtown destination. It is only the second in a number of anticipated city-commissioned murals.

As a longtime member of the Vandalia Arts Council, Spivey hopes to see murals across the city and have more paint days for future projects. The collaboration would bring together more businesses and more artists as new locations are chosen.

For now, though, the Council’s focus is shifting back to the Art Park, as its annual refresh is quickly approaching. With new paintings and statues already selected, local art abounds throughout the city; community pride is expressed through much more than a little paint.

According to the Vandalia City website, the Vandalia Art Park “serves as an eight-acre walkable art exhibit and adds to the many amenities within the City of Vandalia. This park is joined to the Vandalia-Butler Historical Society grounds by the Vandalia Rotary Bridge. This regional destination is free to the public and combines art and history. Other activities and art initiatives will complement the park and increase the appreciation of the exhibits displayed throughout the year.”

“The eight leased sculptures join “At Play in Geologic Time” by Matthew Weir, a permanent limestone piece created during Vandalia's “Chiseled” 2010 Sculpture Symposium; Daddy Long Legs by metal artist Dave Vande Vusse and purchased by PAIV and VCAP in 2015; “Bladerunner,” created during Vandalia's Heavy Metal Remix by Doug Benedict in September 2016, as well as the park's entryway Bottlecap Totem crafted by community members in 2020 which replaces the original mosaic totems created by local artists in 2015. Artist Todd Frahm, Asheville, North Carolina (Bellwether Sculptor from Chiseled 2010) has carved six limestone benches which are permanent additions to the park. Two benches were part of a mini-symposium sponsored by VCAP, PAIV and the Ohio Arts Council in 2017. Four individually commissioned benches were added in 2018. In addition to the exhibits, the Vandalia-Butler Foundation partnered with Vandalia Cultural Art, Vandalia Public Art, and the City of Vandalia to sponsor the musical instruments for our residents' outdoor enjoyment.”