Phase II of the Ghost Sign Mural Restoration is Complete!

In November of 2020 The Artisans Village completed Phase II of a Ghost Sign Mural Restoration Project – the initiative aimed at repainting Eatonton’s unique “ghost signs” to reclaim their original places in the downtown historic district.

A recent Urban Institute report, commissioned by Knight Foundation, revealed the value of art in communities nationwide, citing “Arts and culture are key to cities’ vibrancy and quality of life.” This project establishes public art in Eatonton and provides a window to our town’s history with each ghost mural telling a story. Based on our experience restoring the first three ghost signs, we know the project is a vehicle for “engaging, informing and inspiring” that generates a sense of civic pride. It also serves as a catalyst for economic development through the arts – strengthening the marketability of Eatonton’s historic downtown with this unique exposure to art.

Further, the project provides an opportunity to promote tourism through public-private partnerships, e.g. The Artisans Village will work with the Chamber and Main Street to incorporate information about each ghost sign into Eatonton’s walking tour guide, which will in-turn, promote the downtown district. Overall, the project advances art to build community vitality by not only changing the way residents view the historic downtown district, but also how visitors view unique aspects of Eatonton and what we are capable of accomplishing in our community.

The lead Artist was Joseph Norman, a professor at UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art. Prof. Norman has decades of experience and his works are housed at such institutions as the NY Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Philadelphia Museum of Art, National Gallery, and Smithsonian Museum of American Art. A highly regarded educator and artist, Prof. Norman orchestrated a restoration initiative named “Color the World Bright”, which for the past 14 years has provided talented art students the opportunity to participate on mural projects.

Last year, The Artisan Village partnered with Prof. Norman, who led a team to complete Eatonton’s first three ghost signs. In Phase II of the project, he again selected students to work on the ghost sign murals. Lyn Romine, Eatonton’s Historic Preservation Commission Chair, assisted the team with researching the history of the murals to help inform the design, scale, and restoration work.

Budget
The budget for Phase II of the project was $5,800. The Artisans Village was awarded a Vibrant Communities grant from the Georgia Council for the Arts in the amount of $3,800.  Putnam County and the Eatonton – Putnam Chamber of Commerce helped fund the remaining amount of the budget for this project.