Restoration underway for historic downtown mural

Patty Armstrong isn’t an artist by trade and she isn’t a painter, but she’s picking up a brush to help restore one of downtown Vermillion’s historic landmarks.

Armstrong is one of many volunteers this week who’s helping to bring life and color back to “Missouri Weave” – a nearly 40-year-old mural stretching across the exterior wall of LumoStudios & Gallery that represents the geography and history of the region.

Adjacent to City Hall, the mural has fallen into a state of disrepair due to weather, vandalism and structural issues. Over the course of the week, the mural will have undergone a complete refurbishing to fix the fading piece of art.

“It’s part of Vermillion,” Armstrong said. “You don’t even notice it’s fading until we started painting.”

Phyllis Packard is the Vermillion Area Arts Council project coordinator for mural’s restoration. She said she’s been wanting to restore the mural for two to three years.

A longtime resident of Vermillion, Packard has a number of connections to the mural. In addition to owning the building the mural is painted on, she was also part of the mural’s original creation in 1978.

“It’s a lasting treasure for Vermillion,” she said. “We want to make it last for a lot longer.”

Packard has been planning and fundraising to get the project in motion since this past spring. Overall, the project is estimated to cost around $15,000.

Packard said she has raised about $12,000 to go toward the costs of supplies, materials, equipment, administration and promotion/advertising – which includes a plaque to recognize major donors and participants.

While most of the donated funds have come locally, Packard said she’s been able to further spread the word about the restoration project through a GoFundMe page.

“People from all over the country and very far distances have contributed, as well as many people in town,” she said.

The funds will also be used to pay for the one-week residency of South Dakota artist Dick Termes, along with an assistant artist.

Termes, the original creator of the mural, said he created it as part of a project through the South Dakota Arts Council’s Artists In Schools & Communities program.

During his time with the program, Termes painted 15 murals across the state.

Only four of those murals still exist, he said. Vermillion’s mural is thought to be the only exterior piece still in good condition.

Packard, who is a longtime friend of Termes’s, said when she began talking with him about the restoration project, he was immediately interested.

“We realized this was something that couldn’t wait any longer,” she said.

Termes said although he no longer does mural paintings, he’s happy to come back and help restore part of the town’s and state’s history.

“It’s nice to keep these (murals) going,” he said.

Termes added the mural will embody a pointillistic technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image. Using bright colors, he said the finished product will create a shimmering effect.

Packard estimates that about 50 gallons of paint could be used by the last day of painting on Friday.

Termes said he is redesigning part of the mural to incorporate some of the exposed brick on the building, which is the result of deteriorating wall surfacing that has crumbled from water damage. For more information on water damage, go to Robinson Restoration.

Continuing the idea of the “Missouri Weave,” Termes said he wants to make the brick and mural flow together.

“I love the idea of the mural coming unraveled,” he said. “It kind of unravels and weaves like the Missouri River.”

Ahna Packard, the assistant artist to Termes and daughter of Phyllis, is also drawn to the weaving pattern in the mural. She was 8 years old when the mural was originally painted, and she said she can remember helping out with the project.

“It means a lot that the community is willing to invest in art in Vermillion,” she said.

The mural has been restored only once before, Packard said. When it was first painted 37 years ago, more than 100 children and adult community members assisted in some shape or form. That same concept is present in this week’s project.

About 50 students from Vermillion High School helped paint the mural as part of the school’s community service day on Wednesday.

Packard said people of all ages are welcome to volunteer for however long they want. She said no painting experience is required, and that volunteers only need to wear clothes they don’t mind paint getting on.

The project is set to start everyday at 9 a.m. and end around 7 p.m.

“It’s going to be very similar to paint-by-number. We’ll give you a container of paint and say, ‘See that section right here that goes from here to there – fill it. When you’re down, come on back,’ “ Packard said. “It’s just willingness to have fun and do some helping.”

(Photo: Dick Termes, left, and Ahna Packard, right, begin painting the “Missouri Weave” mural in downtown Vermillion on Monday as part of a restoration project to bring back to life the 37-year-old art piece. The project runs until Friday and volunteers are invited to come and help paint the mural. Trent Opstedahl / The Volante)