The story below is from our September/October 2023 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Photo Courtesy of Shawn Nowlin
From sculptures to murals, Roanoke is covered with vibrant public art that captures stories in its history.
The number of people who take in Roanoke’s public art scene every week is often in the tens of thousands. Every mural, sculpture, painting and decorative design throughout the Star City has a story behind it that is worth telling.
Hundreds of artists like the uber-talented Betty Branch have contributed mightily to the city’s art scene over the years. Works can be found in parks, on buildings, bridges, apartments, museums and much more.
Those who knew James Tarpley best say he was one of the most caring and selfless individuals that one could encounter. Considered the ‘Angel of Grandin Village,’ the area has done multiple things to honor him since his passing in 2019 at age 86.
On the side of Rockfish Food and Wine is a mural of Tarpley that Scott Noel, known professionally as “Toobz Muir,” created. A sculpture of Tarpley, thanks to Branch, sits on a bench outside of the Roanoke Co-op. It’s not a coincidence that the sculpture and mural appear to be looking at each other.
Passersby regularly take pictures of the sculpture and explain to others what their Roanoke Angel meant to them. “I knew Mr. Tarpley extremely well. He had a way of making people feel comfortable in his presence, regardless of their ethnicity. I take great solace in knowing that before his death, he knew how much he was loved,” Charlotte Smith says.
Toobz Muir painted another mural at 319 McClanahan Street, the ETS Recruit Building.
Artist Jon Murrill, a 2009 Roanoke College graduate, painted a mural under the 9th Street Bridge a few months ago. So impressed were city officials that they later tapped him to help take the City’s mural program to the next level as a 2023-24 artist in residence.
Murrill’s work has also been displayed in the Valley View Mall, Oak Grove Plaza and the French Farmhouse.
Art can be extremely therapeutic, something Murrill has told students at his alma mater.
“Public art helps us to see things anew. When you are walking through the greenway and suddenly notice art in a place where graffiti once was, it can be quite a shock. I never get tired of seeing public art throughout the community,” Roanoke Arts and Culture Coordinator Douglas Jackson says.
Onur Dinc and James Bullough are the creative minds behind downtown Roanoke’s Freedom First Building mural that combines a view of Western Virginia’s mountains with the image of a rock climber. The mural on the side of the Lofts at West Station is also a Bullough creation.
The Berglund Center has historically celebrated the Gainsboro community in a multitude of ways. Last year, a meeting between Director of Civic Facilities Robyn Schon, activist Jordan Bell and Dr. Richard Chubb was set up. From that gathering came a consensus idea: renaming the last remaining tree of the Tank Town era.
Once a grant was received, Jackson commissioned artist Bryce Cobbs to create a Tank Town Mural to honor Charles Price, Kathleen Ross, Carolyn Hubbard, Sherwood Kasey, Joe Simms, Jelly Riles and Brenda Randolph.
“To be honest, I was in total shock when I got the call. I was able to shape my creative vision by having extensive conversations with family members of all seven individuals,” Cobbs says. “Without the contributions of so many, this opportunity would have never happened. When people see the mural, I hope in it they see themselves.”
Among Cobbs’ other notable works are a mural of the late rapper Nipsey Hussle on 11th Avenue Northwest and contributions to an “End Racism Now” street painting on Campbell Avenue.
Since the turn of the century, Roanoke’s public art scene has gained a tremendous amount of attention, both locally and statewide. Additional information about the city’s public art can be found at roanokeva.gov.
The story above is from our September/October 2023 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
