North Carrollton Mayor Ken Strachan reached out to several surrounding local communities’ leaders and met with them on Tuesday, Feb. 20, to introduce Galvin Bird, a Mississippi artist who was commissioned to create two murals in North Carrollton. The artist was hard at work as officials arrived, referencing a mock-up design of what the mural is expected to look like upon completion. The mural, at display on the side of Grumpy’s Ice House at 115 W. Main Street in North Carrollton, is a grayscale picturesque replica of the 1899 CNG Columbus to Greenville railroad depot that stood across the street in the same place as where the current fire department stands.
Grumpy’s owner, Allen Dunn, expressed his joy for having the mural on the side of his building, stating “I retired from that railroad.”
Bird graduated from Madison Central High School and grew up studying art under his father. The mural commissioned for Grumpy’s is reportedly only his first or second grayscale work and a bit out of his comfort zone. Despite this, residents have expressed interest in the artist and his creation to Grumpy’s Ice Cream’s owner Allen Dunn. Mayor Ken Strachan shared his amazement in the artists ability to complete such a large-scale work independently.
Artist Bird and Mayor Strachan agreed that being that the original reference photo for the depot was in black and white, it would be most appropriate for the mural to be a black and white time piece to recreate the antique feel.
Mayor Ken Strachan thought it to be appropriate as it would be “a good reflection of the town’s history.”
The mural was expected to take 2 to 3 days to complete and was admittedly nearly finished by the time of this introductory meeting of local officials. Bird stated that a work of its size on average takes approximately a week to complete, and this work was going more swiftly than initially expected.
Upon questioning how the artist expected the mural to hold up to the elements Bird stated, “it barely gets any sunlight so it’ll last a while.”
The mural was approved by the Board of Aldermen of North Carrollton in a January meeting with the resounding support of a five to zero vote.
Mayor Strachan expressed his thankfulness to the board and the decision to support the project, stating it’s a “good investment of tourism money to beautify the town and show future generations.”
Local officials joined from surrounding counties and townships to meet the artist and discuss funding opportunities for the commission of murals in their areas. Among the officials were Greenwood Mayor Carroll McKay, Winona Mayor Aaron Dees, Kilmichael Police Chief (standing in for the Mayor of Kilmichael) Barry Gregg, and the Executive Director of the Greenwood Convention and Visitor Bureau Ashley Farmer. Bird shared prepared portfolios of past commissions and mock-ups with the leaders and discussed known funding for tourism attractions such as these.
North Carrollton Mayor Ken Strachan saw this meeting as a “good opportunity to introduce the artist to local mayors and look into funding.”
Multiple mayors expressed interest in the project and the possibility of having something commissioned in their areas of representation. Winona Mayor Aaron Dees shared that many local business owners in Winona had shared their enthusiasm for having something similar to take pride in in their hometown.
He went on to say, “There’s funding we have there for that kind of stuff, we just need to use it.”
