PULLMAN, WA — Tori Shao, the artist behind the Riverside Mural project in downtown Pullman, will begin filling in the details of their design on Wednesday following preliminary painting and preparation work that began earlier this month.
Shao is a Seattle-based artist and landscape architect whose waterscape and Palouse hills design was selected from a pool of 16 applicants following a request for qualifications solicited by the Downtown Pullman Association and Pullman Arts Foundation. The Riverside Mural project is a collaborative effort between the two organizations and is being funded through individual donations and grants.
A sketch of the mural design and its initial layers of paint started going up Sept. 15 thanks in large part to Sarah Barnett, Pullman Arts Foundation project coordinator, with the help of Joe Hedges, an associate professor in the art department at Washington State University Pullman, and six of his students. The mural is being installed along the South Fork Palouse River on the back facade of a commercial building on the 400 block of East Main Street adjacent to Pine Street Plaza.
That work will be continued throughout this week with Shao adding in the finer details required to bring definition to the featured waterway, vegetation and wildlife elements in the design. The mural is expected to be completed the first week of October. The Riverside Mural will be one of many community murals, several of which are located in Seattle, that Shao has installed throughout her career.
Efforts to bring the Riverside Mural to life have been ongoing for months and was an idea initially proposed by Bobbie Ryder, a member of the Downtown Pullman Association Board of Directors. Ryder partnered with Hedges, who also serves as founder and executive director of the Pullman Arts Foundation, to formulate a plan and project committee, secure an artist and obtain funding for the project. A majority of the installation work to date has been completed at the hands of Barnett, who has worked 8-10 hour days since the design began taking form.
The two organizations have worked to raise more than $30,000 in private donations and local grants to support the project. More than 100 individuals have contributed in addition to grants from the Pullman Civic Trust and Pullman Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. Additional funds are continuing to be raised for the Riverside Mural project and community members interested in contributing to the mural can do so as a tax-deductible donation.
Installing the Riverside Mural is one of many ongoing projects and initiatives aimed at revitalizing downtown Pullman and will be prominently visible from the Downtown Riverwalk, a pathway frequently utilized by residents and visitors alike. The brightly-colored and picturesque scene will create yet another draw to downtown Pullman, aiding in the encouragement of a vibrant, bustling community hub.
Donations can be made online at downtownpullman.org by selecting “Donate” in the top right corner or by check to the Downtown Pullman Association. Checks can be mailed or delivered to 126 S. Grand Ave. Pullman, WA 99163 with a memo specifying “The Riverside Mural.”