Barton Arts Movement is proud to announce a new digital mosaic art installation available for public viewing at five locations in Barton County. The digital mosaic pieces measure 4 by 5 feet and were created by Great Bend artist Yuchen Wang Boswell, who compiled approximately 350 crowd-sourced images to design the artwork. All images used in the digital mosaic were captured in Barton County and submitted to Barton Arts Movement by area residents.
You can find the artwork at the following locations through the end of 2022:
• Gather, 19 N Main Street, Ellinwood
• Great Bend Public Library, 1409 Williams St., Great Bend
• Millers of Claflin, 200 Main St., Claflin
• RePerks Coffee Shop, 1216 Main St., Great Bend, KS 67530
• 102 Main Street, Hoisington, KS 67544
These locations may change after the new year, to give even more residents and storefronts the opportunity to host one of the digital art pieces.
Barton Arts Movement used this unique medium to showcase the beautiful people and places that comprise Barton County. “This project aligns with BAM’s mission of ‘creating pride through community art,’ because this piece was inspired directly by community members,” said Regan Reif, Barton Arts Movement Action Team member. “When viewing the installation, be sure to look closely as you might spot a neighbor or favorite local spot to visit!”
Boswell is the communication instructor at Barton Community College. She leads a new academic program called Media Communications and Content Strategy that is being launched this fall semester. (See the webpage https://bartonccc.edu/programs/digital-communications)
Art Alley
More Barton Arts Movement projects are slated for this fall, including the Art Alley Street Mural project that just wrapped up in mid-September.
The Barton Arts Movement, in partnership with local nonprofit organization Great Bend Alive, hosted a Volunteer Work Day on Friday, September 9 to give volunteers the opportunity to actually paint a new mural! This colorful street mural was painted directly onto the pavement using specialized paint, located in the alley that connects Forest Avenue and Lakin Avenue behind Dry Lake Brewing in downtown Great Bend. Local artist Melanie Ryan developed the design and spearheaded the implementation of the new mural.
“This project allowed members of the public to get involved in a paint-by-numbers style format, assisting with the prepping and priming of the surface, followed by the painting itself,” said Sara Hayden, president of Great Bend Economic Development Inc. “We were so proud to partner with the Barton Arts Movement on this volunteer work day, and absolutely love how the new mural brings the whole area to life!”
Barton Arts Movement is a grass-roots initiative led by volunteers under the auspices of the Golden Belt Community Foundation.
Follow Barton Arts Movement on Facebook to keep up-to-date with the group’s projects and events.
