The Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals hope to get work underway on Owensboro’s next downtown arts mural within a week’s time.
A large mural depicting banjos and the word “Owensboro” will be painted on the east side of the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau’s offices on Second Street. The CVB board unanimously approved CYP’s request to put the mural there this week.
Daviess Fiscal Court will cover the $3,500 to $4,500 that’s estimated to put it there.
Jessica Kirk, who is helping head a community development committee for the chamber’s young professionals branch, credited the idea behind a mural to excitement among the city’s young adults who want to help turn downtown Owensboro into a place as active and thriving as larger downtown metros in the region.
“A lot of young professionals travel to other cities and see that murals have become popular, especially on social media,” she said. “We believe this mural would be a welcoming part of downtown’s growth.”
Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson’s OBKY Project has already identified downtown art development as a way to use social network marketing to advertise Owensboro’s redeveloped downtown sector. Instagram-ready murals are ideal places for young people to take pictures, like the “What Lifts You” or “I believe in Nashville” in Nashville’s The Gulch neighborhood.
Kirk said she’s excited to offer the same kind of artwork in Owensboro, and she encouraged people to visit the mural once it’s finished in about two or three weeks.
“We want it to be a place for people to come, gather and take photos,” she said. “We want visitors and residents alike to take part, so maybe it can start being spread across social media. It’s going to have a perfect spot right there on the CVB building.”