The bump-outs along Post Street are enjoying a fresh pop of color now that Marietta Main Street’s Public Art Committee has installed its Mural Gallery installation. Three sculpted frames were designed and fabricated by local artist Todd Morrow, each featuring two works of art by local artists. The Post Street Mural Gallery was envisioned and commissioned by the Public Art Committee and supported by donations from community businesses and residents.
Six pieces of art by local artists were selected from a total of 92 submissions. The artists whose work was selected are Jessica King, Jon Eells, Beth Nash, Liz Davenport, Cam Benson, and Joe Ryckebosch. The curated collection showcases a variety of style and media, from mixed-media collage to oil and digital painting to sharpie.
Morrow is a Marietta artist and sculptor who specializes in sculptures made from found objects. Each of the three frames has a distinct personality, made with a variety of found objects from wrenches to gears and springs. The frames feature a double-sided metal panel with vinyl applied to each side featuring the artwork selected from local artists, visible to both pedestrians on the walking path and drivers along Post Street.
“It’s been a great experience working on this project with Todd Morrow for the past year and a half and it is so wonderful to see the pieces finally installed,” said Bobby Rosenstock, chair of the Public Art Committee. “Todd is a skilled builder and welder but he is also a great artist. There is so much thought that goes into everything he does beyond surface construction. For these three pieces, Todd came up with the concept of an industrial frame that slowly morphed into a natural frame as you went along the bike path, to represent the industrial and natural history of Marietta.”
Getting to spend a few days in Morrow’s shop, he had an incredible story for just about every spring, rod, old tool, etc that is welded and manipulated on these frames, said Rosenstock. “Stories of who and where these bits of ‘junk’ came from, coming together to build these incredible works of art, help tell the stories of Marietta,” he said. “These unique works of art that are framing other pieces of art, represent Marietta to me on so many levels. So go check them out, look closely at all of the time and detail that went into creating them, and enjoy.”
The Post Street Mural Gallery was sponsored by Denyse Fordham, Susan Boyer, Merrill Lynch, the Rivers, Trails and Ales Festival, Wark Accounting, and JustAJar Design Press, and supported by donations from Syrie Roman, Sherm Koons, Tammy Morrow, Linda and Joe Veraldo, Judith Phillips, and Rebecca Phillips. The Public Art Committee would also like to thank Debbie Waterman for assisting Todd Morrow with the frames and installation, the City of Marietta for their support and site preparations, West Side Sign Co. for printing the art, and community members who have donated to the Marietta Main Street Public Art Committee.
“What we now have on Post Street is a beautiful display of art created by very talented artists. We are very fortunate in that we have such a diverse pool of artists in our region and the fact that we received 92 amazing submissions of work for this mural gallery is proof of that,” said Jen Tinkler, Executive Director of Marietta Main Street. “Each piece is a representation of the artists’ skills and techniques. I am in awe of the talent that is now on display along the bike path. We have created a public art corridor that starts by walking through the tunnel under the Putnam Street Bridge and leads the traveler right down Post Street.”
