The June German Ball (Juneteenth) Mural to be Weatherized

New College Institute and the City of Martinsville are working with artisans to seal, caulk, prime and paint the Juneteenth Mural.

The mural has already been taken down and moved to a workshop so that it may be weatherized.

“We are being proactive,” said Susan McCulloch, “we want to make sure the mural has many years left.”

Local artist Charles Hill, among many of the partners who worked with the New College Institute interns in 2014 to prepare and paint the mural notified the City that it was time to work to preserve the mural.  The artwork is in a temporary pocket park, but the idea is to make the mural last for years.

"Preserving the mural will help this piece to remain in good quality so that the community can continue enjoying this artwork, which represents a tribute to local history and the June German Ball," said Autumn Morris, Director of Marketing & Communications at NCI. 

Burr Fox is working with Hill to uninstall and reinstall the artwork as well as caulk and check the piece.  The City and NCI are splitting the $1,200 costs of this maintenance.

Plans are to reinstall the Juneteenth mural as soon as possible, probably within a few weeks.

“The mural has become a beloved piece of public art  in the community. It will be repaired and reinstalled as quickly as possible,” said McCulloch.