McClure Recreates Mural 27 Years Later

Twenty-seven years after the original mural was completed, Michael McClure returned to recreate his work for future generations. In 1999, McClure and a group of community sponsors undertook a project to create a 28-by-10-foot mural of Willow Springs. The original mural featured historical figures, landmarks, and scenes. Included in the mural are the Horton Hotel, local churches, Wendell Bailey alongside two mules, and the first car owned by a Willow Springs resident, Frank Sass. The project was a brand-new installation featuring the same iconic history of Willow Springs, including a plaque underneath explaining each image in the mural.

 

Over the course of 27 years, the original mural, painted on half-inch plywood began to show its age. McClure initially attempted touch-ups on the piece from a ladder before Willow Springs Community Foundation director Dean Aye approached McClure on the possibility of collaborating on a new mural in a more durable medium. Aye worked with the Willow Springs Arts Council and the Foundation to organize funding and logistics.

 

When asked about his motivation for a full recreation, Aye noted two recent murals in downtown Willow Springs falling into disrepair and being taken down and pointed to his belief that, “art shows us where we come from.” Aye shared a primary mission of the Community Foundation is to preserve and beautify downtown Willow Springs. 

 

The new mural project consists of seven aluminum panels painted offsite by McClure at his art gallery, where he offers tours by appointment. McClure shared with Howell County News that at 76 years old, he was not sure if the scale of the project was possible for him to complete. When asked about the significance of this work, he said, “The mural is an example of what community looks like.”

 

However, he knew the value of this mural to the community and the determination of Aye to recreate the piece, leading him to take on the project. For his reference material, McClure sourced photographs of historic moments in Willow Springs history from the Willow Springs Historical Society. The finished panels were then installed on-site by Foundation board member Avery Parker. Parker framed over the uneven wall, aligning and fastening the new mural to the wall over the course of three days. Parker also shared that he did not feel like he did anything extraordinary and pointed to Dean Aye of the Foundation as the driving force of the project. The project was completed over the course of three weeks, with the entire Foundation, the Arts Council, and McClure working together to preserve a part of Willow Springs history.

 

The original photos that inspired each part of the mural can be found at the Historical Society for public viewing every Thursday, 1 to 5 p.m.