Elyria Community Partnership announces artists for new mural

The Elyria Community Partnership has selected the artists for its next community mural as it continues its work to try and brighten downtown Elyria. In a release on Thursday, the Elyria Community Partnership said that it had selected artists Eileen Dorsey and Garrett Weider to paint the new mural on the side of City Hall facing Huntington Bank to the north. Dorsey and Weider, both working out of Cleveland, have more than 40 years of experience in public art between them, and have worked together on several large mural projects in Northeast Ohio. Previously in Lorain County, Weider painted a mural in downtown Grafton of a train, marking the village's deep connection to locomotive history. Mone't Roberts, the executive director of the Elyria Community Partnership, said that the nonprofit received submissions from more than a dozen artists from across the country who were interested in doing its latest mural. Roberts said that despite the heavy competition, a committee formed by the nonprofit determined that Weider and Dorsey were the obvious choice because they understood the vision the committee was looking for, had extensive public art experience and both were local artists. "They definitely have that experience aspect," Roberts said. "There were some other muralists who were entering into the top one or two spots, but I think the committee overall wanted to see someone as local as possible, so I think that did come into play. They have done some really good murals in the area, and we are super excited to have them." The themes the mural will highlight include Elyria's natural beauty and history and it will have a style of detailed realism, which was on display in Weider's work in Grafton. "We look forward to bringing our colorful vision of Elyria's past, present, and future to life in a vibrant, positive way," Weider said. The new mural on City Hall will be the latest in a series of murals that partnership has commissioned throughout downtown in recent years. While the nonprofit has taken on larger projects as of late, like helping spearhead affordable housing development for seniors, Roberts said that beautifying downtown through public art was still a core part of its process. "We did our vibrancy action plan, and that was a consensus among the board that people wanted to see Elyria be light, bright and bold," Roberts said. "They were tired of the dull, gloomy feeling that parts of Elyria had, and murals are one easy way to bring that vibrancy in." Perhaps even more importantly though, Roberts said, expanding public art is a way to signal both to residents and developers that people are willing to invest time and resources in downtown Elyria. "I think people see things like this and think it is small or it is not necessarily going to fix everything, but it does show an investment in the city," she said. "We want to showcase that that investment is taking place, so that when outside investors do come and see Elyria, they can recognize that there is already momentum happening in this area." Dorsey and Weider have already begun planning for their new mural with a visit and walking tour of Elyria, and Roberts said they would meet with partnership board members and members of the community throughout the process to ensure the final project represents the people of Elyria. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to create an artwork that tells the story of the people of Elyria," Dorsey said on Thursday. The Elyria Community Partnership tentatively plans to celebrate the completed mural at its Art in the Square Third Thursday event on July 16. The Elyria Community Partnership is a nonprofit which seeks to drive redevelopment and investment in downtown Elyria. It is based out of the headquarters of The Chronicle-Telegram, but is a separate entity. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.