Community members kick-off mural project in Dover

In Dover, community members have kicked-off an art project with the goal of sprucing-up an area in the city.

Monday afternoon, Joshua Nobiling, a Visiting Assistant Professor of Arts at Wesley College, guided community members and students as they kicked off a mural project for the City of Dover.

"Last summer, we presented at one of the City Council's meetings, what are our idea was and our plan. And they were able to approve it at that time.We picked the area within the restoring central Dover area," says Chanda Jackson, who is involved in NCALL's Restoring Central Dover plan.

Jakson says that area is a park located on Kirkwood and Division Street. She says the project is part of an effort to revamp key areas in the community, and this 15 panel mural is expected to bring a splash of color and honor the city.

"The color scheme for the background is taken specifically from the Dover emblem,flag," says Nobiling.

Nobiling says the background will be a fragmented pattern that is reminiscent of stained glass. He says this will pay homage to the city's many churches, and also play into the mural's theme.

"The final product will be a linear  timeline of past, present, future of Dover," says Nobiling.

Once the background is completed, images will be painted over, and residents have already put in requests.

"Saying this should go on here. What about this? Hey, I remember this place  used to be here. This church moved from here to here. Or this person should be honored, or we would like this court case to be remembered," says Nobiling.

We're told the project will take two months complete, and community leaders say the most significant part is allowing residents to leave their mark on the canvas.

"When it actually goes up you'll have a number of different community members saying I had a part in that. I painted that section," says Jackson.

The painting of the mural will take place in Welsey College at the Longwood Building, from Monday through Friday.

Those who are interested in contributing to this project are asked to make an appointment  by contacting Joshua Nobiling, joshua.nobiling@wesley.edu