The Hot Springs area's latest mural, one of 12 being painted around Arkansas, will officially be unveiled to the public at noon today as part of the Second Annual Gudrun Mountain Bike Festival on the Northwoods Trails system.
"Oh, it's incredible. Not only is it beautiful, it's so very different than any of our other murals that we have here in Hot Springs," Mary Zunick, cultural affairs manager for Visit Hot Springs, said.
The abstract mural was designed by France-based artist Camille Walala. Due to restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was painted by a crew of professional artists from OzArtNWA, who recreated her design.
The artists stayed in constant communication with Walala via FaceTime and other means as they applied the paint, according to a news release from Visit Hot Springs.
"She was unable to come for the installation, but an entire team painted for (Walala) to her design," Zunick said.
The mural was brought to Hot Springs by a partnership between OZArt, The Unexpected and Justkids as part of their ARkanvas initiative to bring more public art to Arkansas.
The towns getting the other 11 murals include Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Fort Smith (Chaffee Crossing), Conway, Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Stuttgart, the release said.
"I was so excited" to hear Hot Springs would be included in the initiative, Zunick said. "It's just an incredible opportunity."
Over the past few years, many murals have been painted in the city, but this one is located on a pumphouse in the Northwoods.
The project offered "a great opportunity to expand art, and public art, to not just be downtown," Zunick said. "It's taking art into nature."
Zunick said she likes the fact that the mural, while located in the middle of nature, doesn't itself depict nature, noting, "Some people think you should put something nature (related). You can't outdo nature."
She said she likes how the vibrant colors contrast with the nature around it and that when driving to the mural, visitors will be driving through nature and "all the sudden there are these vibrant colors."
It didn't cost Hot Springs anything for the mural, she said, noting, "It was wonderful to have this mural happen, and we didn't have to write any grants for it or fundraise."
The mural took around two weeks to paint and was finished last week. The painters had to create the artwork in bad weather conditions, she said.
"They were here when the weather was horrible" and it was cold while they were painting.
Zunick said they decided to put a selfie stand up "because bikers like to take pictures of their bikes and people like to take pictures of murals." There is also a bike stand in front of the mural to help with taking photos and signs will be installed with social media hashtags for visitors to tag their selfies, she said.
OZArtNWA sponsored the mural project and stand, the release said.
Traci Berry, Northwoods Trails coordinator for Visit Hot Springs, Lance Spicer, deputy city manager, and Anthony Whittington, the city's Parks and Trails director, will speak at today's event.
Mary Zunick asked for those who attend the celebration to wear a mask and keep a proper social distance away from other attendees.