A mural painted by Often Seen, Rarely Spoken greets pedestrians and motorists traveling near downtown Glasgow. The new mural is at the corner of North Race Street and the Glasgow Public Sqaure.
Photo by Brennan Crain.
GLASGOW, Ky. – A new sight has caught the eyes of motorists in downtown Glasgow. A mural was finished Monday after work began last week.
Often Seen, Rarely Spoken, a Louisville-based art collective, arrived in Glasgow last Friday to begin work on a 1,000 square foot mural on the side of Fine Arts Bistro’s building. The mural was completed Monday.
MacLean Lessenberry, executive director of the Barren County Tourism Commission, said the project was inspired by recent pushes from the Kentucky League of Cities to beautify Glasgow and Barren County.
KLC was consulted by members of the Glasgow City Council’s Strategic Planning Committee, and representatives completed a comprehensive review of Glasgow’s current attributes and areas of need. One of the areas of need that KLC identified was beautification and instilling a “sense of pride” into the local atmosphere.
“We want people to come visit here and recruit those people here,” Lessenberry said. “To have an amazing time here and go out into the world and tell people how great we are.”
The mural was designed by Often Seen, Rarely Spoken, Lessenberry said. The company has a resume extending from areas like Louisville to Flint, Mich. The artists also specialize in graphic design and brand collaboration.
Members of the commission ultimately selected the final design.
Danny Williams, owner and chef at Fine Arts Bistro, also served as a critic of the design. Lessenberry said Williams was receptive to have the mural painted on his building’s wall.
“That organically just kind of happened where we both were just kind of interested in doing some sort of public art and beautification,” Lessenberry said. “He wanted to do something with his business. We wanted it to be somewhere downtown.”
Of the designs drafted, the final design features an abstract look with certain hints of local and state culture. The Golden Rod flower is featured, which is Kentucky’s state flower. Local hashtags are also featured in the design.
“It also sends the message that Glasgow is here – we are on the map,” Lessenberry said. “We have a history of being a leader in the state, and I think this mural is a statement piece that we are keeping that territory in our leadership role. And we are here to stay.”
The $10,000 project was funded by the commission’s budget, which is funded completely by lodging taxes. The City of Glasgow collects the lodging tax, but the money is disbursed to the Commission.
Despite what Lessenberry called a “rough year,” the sight of a new mural has filled the spirits of many in the community. Several motorists have stopped alongside the mural to snap a photo while waiting at the traffic light along North Race Street.
“We had talked a lot about bring the positives of the sign because there are so many negatives going on,” Lessenberry said. “That was one thing that really stuck out to me that I really wanted to eventually do anyway.”
Lessenberry said additional walls are being sought throughout the city for potential mural projects. Lessenberry said the commission hopes to employ a local artist if another project is completed.
