SNOW HILL, Md. — A blank wall in Snow Hill's downtown arts and entertainment district is about to become a work of art.
A new mural is in the works on Pearl Street, and the artists behind it say it’s about honoring and preserving history.
"[A] picture speaks a thousand words,” said Olga Deshields. “And so when we do connect with the history and the legacy of the community…represented in a visual, it does speak and spark interest and starts conversations.."
Deshields is a self-taught muralist who has called Snow Hill home for nearly 20 years after moving from Russia. She became an artist in Snow Hill after connecting with a professional artist who ran a gallery downtown.
She says her connection to the town gives her a unique eye for what the wall needs.
"It's a large blank wall,” Deshields said. “It's screaming for a mural, in my opinion. But I'm a muralist, almost every wall screams for a mural in my eyes. But because I've lived in this town for so long, I kind of have a sense of its history and of its culture and its vibe.”
Deshields sits on the board of Snow Hill's Main Street program, where she leads the design team — a volunteer group focused on beautifying the downtown with planters, banners and other visual elements that make visitors feel welcome.
She said the mural came together through a state placemaking grant. To give it a community feel, she reached out to two local artists to collaborate.
Dawn Tarr Scott is one of those artists. A Snow Hill native, she’s excited to give something permanent back to her hometown.
“Forever and ever, even after we're gone, hopefully it'll still be here, you know?” said Tarr Scott. “And our kids can say, you know, my parents were part of this, you know, and the fact that it's about the river, the river is so historic here and a huge draw that, you know, just that being the topic is huge for history.”
The Pokomoke River will be the focus of the mural, while also highlighting native species of plants and birds.
The artists got to work this week priming the wall, and people stopping by the town are already taking notice.
“I think every mural tells a little bit about the history of the community, and that history is important,” said Salisbury native Skip Carey. “We're tending to lose tradition and history and across the board and everything. And, the young people need to know the history and especially the little tiny ones. They need to know it. And this is a neat way of doing it.”
The third artist is Susan Stockman, who specializes in mosaic murals. Stockman will be adding a mosaic feature to the mural.
The artists are hosting multiple events to get the community involved in the making of the mural.
If you want to get involved, Snow Hill officials have announced several opportunities to join the artists as they work on the mural and mosaic downtown:
June 13, 5-7pm
June 20, 5-7pm
June 21, 5-7pm
