Wildlife murals on N. Lime

NoC News 

Regular travelers of N. Limestone may have noticed the new set of murals across from Luigart Studio & Gallery at 745 North Limestone Street. Unveiled on Tuesday, May 29, the mural series depicts the wildlife of the neighborhood.

Entitled Urban Wildlife, “the series of four, large-scale digital paintings and an educational panel were created by Lexington artist Stevie Moore in collaboration with project facilitator, Sarah Campbell. The work aims to educate the community about wildlife that exists within the city environment as well as actions citizens can take to create a safe and welcoming urban wildlife environment,” said a press release about the project.

Urban Wildlife mural on N. Lime by artist Stevie Moore. Photo by Brian Connors-Manke.

At the unveiling were Mayor Jim Gray, Councilmember Steve Kay, N. Limestone Neighborhood Association President Marty Clifford, Stevie Moore, Sarah Campbell, and Clay Smitson of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

Smitson reminded the audience that many species make the city their home. The settling of small mammals in urban environs has also brought their predators, including owls and hawks. Smitson emphasized that this has been a natural occurrence and that “we can have more [wildlife] around here” if residents make their properties more flora and fauna friendly.

Smitson gave three examples of measures residents can take to make a welcoming environment for urban wildlife: creating nesting boxes for desired bird species; leaving bird feeders out year-round; and reducing footage of grass and avoiding lawn chemicals. In place of grass, plant bushes and native wildflowers that create a better habitat for butterflies and hummingbirds. In terms of lawn care, chemicals tend to kill clover, which pollinators need. Smitson emphasized that we need pollinators to help with food production for humans.

The promotional material for the mural series includes other educational facts. For instance, opossums have an important urban function: they eat “fallen fruit, litter, and even road kill.” (Secure your garbage cans, and they’ll be discouraged from scavenging in your Herbie.) Brown bats “can eat up to 600 mosquitos in an hour [and] these small, nocturnal mammals help control insects, protecting humans from diseases like West Nile Virus.”

Urban Wildlife complements Made You Look!, another public art project supported by the EcoArt Grant program. In 2010, Blake Eames and Claudia Michler began painting storm sewer drains around downtown, neighborhoods near UK, and the near north side. The goal of their project was to educate Lexingtonians about our city’s storm sewer problem.

Both Urban Wildlife and Made You Look! remind northsiders that we live in a habitat that is a delicate and necessary dance between humans, wildlife, and the land. These ecoart projects ask us to be conscious about making our urban home hospitable and healthy for ourselves and for the life around us.

Urban Wildlife kicks off a more extended public art project organized by the N. Limestone Neighborhood Association. The group plans to install panels along the industrial fencing that skirts KU’s property. Grateful for KU’s involvement, the neighborhood association has announced that it hopes “to install at least 15 additional panels at this location and rotate artwork within the permanent steel frames. Future exhibits will celebrate local history and explore community values and concerns. NLNA is currently seeking grants, sponsors, and donations to support the continuation of the project.”

More information about this project can be found at www.northlime.org.