A 760-foot-long wall of murals will appear along a fence on Main Street in Bangor this summer.
Waterfront Concerts and Bangor Beautiful, a local nonprofit organization with the mission of improving the aesthetics of the city, are joining forces to enlist 21 local artists to fill the long wooden fence in front of the Maine Savings Amphitheater with murals on the theme of “Maine.”
If added this summer, the murals would be the latest in a series Bangor Beautiful has brought to the city in the last year, all with the goal of enhancing the city’s appearance.
Jared Goulette, a Maine-based professional spray paint artist who goes by “The Color Wizard,” will paint the largest portion of the mural directly in front of the stage, according to a statement from Bangor Beautiful.
The 75-foot segment will read “We hope you have a Wicked Good Time” in the style of a vintage postcard. The background and inside of the letters will be filled with images of central Maine landscapes, such as lakes and mountains.
The remaining stretch of fence will be stained in a repeating color block pattern with a 4-foot-by-4-foot mural every 20 feet. Each mural will be painted by a different local artist, and the project has potential to add more work.
Bangor Beautiful will also plant short, native ground plants, such as ferns and wildflowers, along the base of the fence, the nonprofit’s statement said.
Goulette will paint his portion of the fence over two days in June. The other artists’ work will be installed in June.
Most recently, Bangor Beautiful asked city councilors for permission to paint a marine life mural on the Kenduskeag Pump Station on the corner of Broad and Washington streets. Before that, the nonprofit commissioned Goulette to paint a two-story mural on the side of 116 Hammond St. depicting forest floor in spring, with a vernal pool and native flora and fauna.
