PANAMA CITY — Paint can bring the vibrance of life to inanimate objects, and city officials are hoping a few coats can help revitalize downtown Panama City.
Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) officials are looking at the city’s policy on creating large wall murals in downtown. But, ironically, a mural titled “Bay County Blossoms” is hindering colorful works from blooming on many of the area’s blank walls. City officials have said the faded and chipped, aquamarine painting at the corner of Harrison Avenue and Fourth Street is a convenient reminder of the downside to a mural program.
CRA Director William Whitson framed the mural as a cautionary tale for policymakers.
“If we can use murals and art as a tool to make downtown more attractive, we want to do that,” Whitson said. “But we want appropriate policies in place so we don’t have situations that fall into disrepair and instead instill a pride of ownership.”
People with private-sector backing — like the Coca-Cola Co. — have approached the city, expressing interest in mural projects, Whitson said, though he would not confirm names of the interested parties due to the premature nature of policy considerations.
The mural project is one of many initiatives the city is researching to beautify the two gateways of Jenks Avenue and Harrison Avenue leading to the Downtown Marina to establish the city’s identity and brand along the way. Other initiatives the 20-year Downtown CRA contract extension supported are aesthetic improvements, support for historic preservation, economic development efforts for tourism and improvements to streetscapes. CRA funds can be used in achieving those goals.
“All of those kinds of things are the kinds of things we want to invest in,” Whitson said. “It won’t just be one thing that assists us downtown; it will be multiple efforts combined.”
Several names of A.D. Harris students are listed on “Bay County Blossoms” as contributors to the painting, but a central organizer willing to claim the artwork could not be determined by press time. Property owners of 416 Harrison Ave. could not be reached for comment.
The policies being considered would determine who is responsible for maintaining murals, how often they would be refurbished and even what, content-wise, would be allowed.
Representatives of the Visual Arts Center, attributed along with A.D. Harris and several state agencies as co-creators of “Bay County Blossoms,” support an initiative to clearly outline maintenance requirements and content guidelines for murals.
“Many cities across the country use walls to beautify their city and have review boards in place,” said Vicki Middlemas, director of the Visual Arts Center. “That would give us an idea of what is allowed and what is not allowed.”
Middlemas agreed that if new policies could be put in place, downtown mural artwork could help downtown blossom.
“That was the problem; there was no code,” she said. “Once it’s identified it will be better for downtown and artists who want to contribute to downtown.”