Wright Brothers Murals Soar in to Showcase Area Landmarks
I enjoy learning about history. I also enjoy engaging with artists and the spectacular work they create. Put them both together, and what do you have?
That’s the question I recently answered in partnership with the National Park Service and NAHA (National Aviation Heritage Area). And throw in creative director Ken Botts from VMA (Visual Marketing Associates). Ken also happens to be the president of The Wright Brothers USA – handling all official The Wright Brothers brand licensing and other development prospects.
And then, of course, there’s one of my group’s most dedicated artists – Mark Riedy – whom we’ve connected to a slew of eclectic projects in the past. Among other things, Mark is responsible for the vintage-style murals (think “WPA” era) at the baseball stadium for our Cincinnati Reds.
Ken had been tasked by the Park Service and NAHA to come up with an idea that would revitalize the appearance (and, let’s be honest, property value!) of The Wright Company factory which has sadly devolved into a derelict state over the years.
There The Wright Company factory stands as a hallowed spot for the family and local history … right next to a recently constructed Dayton Metro Library’s new West Branch.
Simply put, the National Park Service wanted to be good neighbors to the new library and moved to “spruce up” the area a bit. And that meant some nice artwork such as murals on the outer walls of the disused The Wright Company factory. That in turn meant finding an apropos area artist who was up to the task Ken had been assigned. And then, finally, that meant coming to yours truly and our team at Scott Hull Associates to help Ken find just the artist who would fit their requirements. In this case: Mark Riedy.
“My process for murals is much like any of my print work or work done for the web,” reveals Mark.
“I create it in Adobe Illustrator, by which I mean ‘vector art.’ The beauty of which is that anything I make with it is totally scalable. Whatever I design will look just as good on a postage stamp as on a massive wall, without any degradation of the image. Ideal for producing the six murals I was brought on to design and that would later be used for the final fabricated murals placed on the exterior walls of the factory.” - Mark Riedy
It was almost exactly a year ago that I first approached Mark to see if this would be up his alley. He already knew Ken very well, as they have a working relationship going back thirty years.
“I knew this was something of an important project to get involved with from the start,” continued Mark. “We were all working together to start revitalizing not only the factory but the whole area around it as well. This would be the first big step toward that goal, especially as there’d be more foot traffic and spotlight on it with the new library being right there.”
By choosing images of multiple site locations within the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park which are mostly Wright brothers-based history as well, we were also able to promote the National Park Service whose representative were generously hands-on through much of the process.
“This project is a wonderful example of how a partnership-focused park like ours can leverage the resources and networks of collaborators like the National Aviation Heritage Alliance and The Wright Brothers Family Foundation while simultaneously providing them reciprocal support,” explains Kendell Thompson, Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Superintendent.
Not only can Mark’s artwork be used to help revivify a historical landmark in town and help make that entire area something that will hopefully attract both lay visitors and potential investors/developers alike. The art itself can be used to serve various purposes that will promote and support our partner organizations.
left - Mackensie Wittmer - Executive Director - National Aviation Heritage Alliance right - Kendell Thompson - Superintendent - Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior
“This type of project has value added benefits, as the imagery, once created, can be repurposed for many different partner venues,” Superintendent Thompson confirms. “The murals activate a previously abandoned area while strengthening partnership project relationships.”
Not surprisingly, Superintendent Thompson is not alone in his assessment of the situation.
“Since what Mark delivered had such an exact right feel and style that we at NAHA wanted, we progressed further into developing additional opportunities for the images he made,” National Aviation Heritage Alliance Executive Director Mackensie Wittmer said. “That was an unexpected benefit to Mark’s work. I would seek Mark out for future work.”
“The thought with these murals used as facades on these buildings,” Ken concludes, “was that they would promote six major assets under the purview of the Wright brothers estate while we wait for the resources to renovate the buildings properly and also at the same time communicating the breadth of the local historical park, in this case DAHNHP.”
This of course, Ken agrees, is just the beginning of what his organization and he have in mind for continued value growth on both marketing and direct ROI levels.
“Mark brought the respect of the brands and the quality of the craftsmanship that I’ve become used to working with him and Scott Hull Associates,” Ken says.
“And who knows where we go from here with the artwork generated? Maybe on the inner walls of the Dayton International Airport, so that those who fly in can learn that the Wrights are from here and all they did to help build Dayton’s cachet on the global forum. These murals, this art goes a long way to do that kind of thing and more.”
“We’re talking about artwork in public spaces throughout a community that express the legacy of that community,” Ken Botts concludes. “I think that’s pretty powerful.”
Let Mark collaborate with you on your next campaign. Simply call 937-433-8383 or email: scott@scotthull.com
