A day for Dottie

Last week and early this week saw much excitement in the local art community as a little extra beauty was brought downtown.

Professional muralist Lucinda Nehemias began a mural in tribute to McMinnville native and Country Music Hall of Fame member Dottie West on the east exterior wall of the Park Theater Tuesday, May 12. On Monday, May 18, she invited the public to be part of the art. Several community members, ranging from city and county leaders to children barely big enough to hold a paint brush, gathered downtown where they were led in a paint-by-numbers participation allowing everyone a chance to literally make their mark on a downtown landmark.

Next week will be a time to celebrate the work of Nehemias and her collaborators as the Park Theater will hold a mural dedication Wednesday, May 27 at 11:30 a.m. Dottie's granddaughter Tess Frizzell, a singer/songwriter and artist in her own right, will attend the celebration as guest of honor along with Nehemias. Prior to the dedication, Frizzell will appear in-studio Wednesday at 10 a.m. on WOW Country's The Justin Reed Show. Reed will serve as emcee for the ceremony.

Nehemias, based in St. Petersburg, Fla., launched her professional art career in 2001 when she did her first mural for some friends.

"I had been doing commissioned canvas work for a while, and I was seeing all the murals in St. Pete and thought I wanted to do a big one," Nehemias said during an in-studio appearance on WBMC's Town Talk with Raven and Rob Thursday. "My friends were opening a gym, and I told them if they'd like a mural to let me know. I didn't want to charge them because I didn't know if it would be good or not. It was for a free T-shirt and a free month of workout classes. It ended up being worth it, because that's where I got most of my jobs from after that. I was very tickled and still am that this gets to be my job. Murals are probably 70% of my income and then I do classes."

Over 50 people participated in the public-painting portion of the mural. Nehemias enjoyed interacting with the community, especially the youngest participants.

"I love including the community because I feel like I'm able to make this a living because I was supported at a young age," Nehemias said. "There were always art supplies around. My mom had a music and art store, and my grandma was an oil painter. So, I was around it a lot when I was little and in college I got back into it at the Hart Gallery in Chattanooga. I'm very thankful I had family that encouraged me to do it instead of saying put that down and go get a real job."

The project was funded by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission which provides funding for art projects across the state. The commission is funded in part with money raised through the sales of Tennessee Arts Commission specialty license plates.

Park management is proud to share this project, which has been in the planning stages for years, with the community.

"This mural process has been beyond our expectations, and we've been so pleased with the way it has turned out and the community response to the project," Park Theater Assistant Manager Ashley Gillentine Wright said. "We're proud to honor the legacy of Dottie West with this piece of public art and to add a little something extra for folks to discover when they come downtown. Our mural dedication on Wednesday will be a small ceremony to recognize our muralist Lucinda Nehimias and get an official 'blessing' from Dottie's family."