A new mural is set to be painted in Oxford this coming fall on the U.S. Route 27 underpass in Peffer Park.
In April 2024, the Public Art Commission of Oxford (PACO) sent out a request form to inform artists of the mural project and the stipulations of their selection process. PACO considered designs from applicants with a wide variety of backgrounds and levels of experience, but Amber Franklin, PACO’s council representative, said they would be focusing on artists with a connection to the community
Franklin said she noticed an increasing desire for public art since the city’s only public mural, “The Changemakers of Oxford,” was created in 2019. She said officials have been looking for more spaces to promote Oxford life.
Since the U.S. Route 27 underpass is a city-owned space, Franklin said the mural will serve as part of their mission statement to “promote parks, arts and culture throughout the community.”
“There’s plenty of graffiti there, so it’s definitely a place that people want to put some kind of imagery,” Franklin said.
Despite having to remove existing art from the underpass, Franklin said PACO is looking for a cohesive design the entire Oxford community can enjoy.
“We wanted something that has some vibrancy to it,” Franklin said. “We were noticing whether people had any local ties as well.”
After an initial review of the submissions, three semi-finalists were chosen: Girls Who Paint Murals, Bright Wall Collective and Hannah Webb. After great consideration, PACO selected Webb’s design.
Semi-finalists Jennifer Acus-Smith and her partner, Nicole Trimble, of Bright Wall Collective graduated from Miami University with degrees in art. Before putting pen to paper, the pair visited the site, capturing pictures of the wall and surrounding nature.
Acus-Smith said the concept for their mural design centered around Oxford’s call for expression and drew inspiration from events like the local Apple Butter Festival and native wildlife.
“We are really trying to look at what are all the ways that Oxford promotes creativity and encourages creativity and celebrates it,” Acus-Smith said.
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Although Christine Crawford, co-founder of Girls Who Paint Murals, and her partner Alli Renee are based in Charleston, South Carolina, the two attempted to create a design reflecting the Oxford community without visiting. Crawford said they prepared by looking into the area online and decided ultimately to keep their concept broad. Their final design combined their unique styles and recognizable symbols.
“What we like to do with designs that are especially in parks and nature areas is to take things like state flowers, state birds … research the area and see what people like to do,” Crawford said.
Although disappointed by the competition's outcome, Acus-Smith and Crawford said they were excited to see the design PACO chose.
“We’re really grateful for the opportunity to apply for this,” Crawford said. “Hopefully, we’ll be there one day to paint a mural for you all.”
Born and raised in Oxford, Webb spent her childhood living on the city outskirts. So when she got the call from her new home in California that PACO was looking for artists it was a no-brainer.
“I thought it would be cool to give it a shot,” Webb said. “It would be like a full circle project for me.”
For her design, Webb drew inspiration from her memories of Oxford. Particularly, her design focuses on an animal that she finds reminiscent of the city – deer.
“You’d see them crossing the street, you see them passing through your yard, to me that’s always been a very Oxford thing,” Webb said.
Webb said she is happy her design was chosen for this project because it already has so much personal meaning.
“I hope that what I’m bringing to this piece is something that is uniquely me but that is also uniquely Oxford,” Webb said.
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