New Onancock mural reflects town’s commitment to the arts

Onancock Main Street (OMS) is excited to announce a third mural in the works for downtown Onancock.

Curtis Goldstein, an accomplished artist from Columbus, OH, who has painted murals as far west as Phoenix, Arizona and as far east as Berlin, Germany, is creating a montage of Onancock’s legacy of theater and performing arts on the Ames St. side of the North Street Playhouse at 34 Market St. The mural measures 88 feet wide by 10 feet high.

Goldstein was selected by the OMS Mural Committee from 18 applicants for his experience and design, which best embodied the committee’s desire that the mural colorfully and vibrantly combine historic and contemporary theatrical and cinematic elements.

“Curtis’ body of work is impressive, and we are lucky to have an artist of his expertise creating our next mural,” said Cindy Holdren, chair of the OMS Mural Committee, a group of volunteers responsible for Onancock’s mural themes and locations. “The first two murals elicited many positive responses from citizens and visitors, and we know this third one will generate continued interest. Our hope is to identify funding for lighting the murals so they will be highlighted in the evenings, as well as a gutter to protect the third mural from water damage.”

The mural is a project of OMS and funded by grants from Virginia Main Street, a program of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

Goldstein holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Ohio State University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Cincinnati. He has created murals since 1990 and exhibits his drawings and paintings internationally. In his application to OMS, Goldstein stated that “My hope is that this mural will inform, entertain, and wow its audience for years to come.”

OMS is committed to bringing public art to the downtown with murals that reflect the unique nature of its community. Their projects aim to engage residents and visitors, ultimately increasing foot traffic to Onancock businesses.

Stop by to see Goldstein at work. He plans to wrap up the project in mid-September.

“We want to thank the North Street Playhouse for offering their building at such a highly visible site and their continuing cooperation in preparing the building side for the mural,” said Holdren.