Rural Murals: UGA plan highlights public art to drive tourism, economic development in rural communities

BUENA VISTA -- In Buena Vista, a vibrant mural at the corner of North Broad Street and Fifth Avenue catches the eyes of passersby with its bright blue border. Funded by Flint Energies, the mural tells the story of the longleaf pine forests that once dominated Marion County and the turpentine industry, flora and fauna that the trees supported — from gopher tortoises to bobwhite quail.

For years, such murals appeared in small towns across rural Georgia to invite travelers to stop for a rest and explore local points of interest. The tradition is now helping to revive communities and spark hometown pride with assistance from the University of Georgia.

Encouraging tourism through public art is one recommendation of the River Valley Community Compatible Development Plan, an initiative of the UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government. The plan provides strategic direction to spur economic development in the six rural counties outside of U.S. Army installation Fort Moore and Columbus, the largest city in the area.

“We found great potential for these communities to tap into the existing vibrant regional tourism economy by showcasing their natural and cultural resources, and Flint Energies is a great partner in that effort,” UGA Institute of Government Faculty and RVCCD Project Leader Scott Pippin said.

The Buena Vista mural is part of the electric cooperative’s Rural Murals program, which provides $10,000 for mural production, with communities pitching in $2,500 per project. The program has funded 10 murals across Flint’s 17-county coverage area since it launched in 2019.

Jay and Faye Wells, long-time residents of the Buena Vista area, say they hope that celebrating the past will propel the community's future. The family has renovated several vacant buildings, including the historic brick structure that serves as the mural’s canvas.

“The mural has been a lot of fun for Buena Vista and has helped invigorate the city,” Faye Wells said. “It’s not unusual for people to stop by, take a photo and grab lunch or shop.”

Marian McLemore, Flint’s vice president of cooperative communications, has witnessed how public art can impact communities that need a boost — prompting the rehabilitation of historic buildings and helping clean up blight.

“For residents in these communities, once those murals go up, it’s like someone took a veil off their eyes, and they ask, ‘What else can we do?’ ” McLemore said.

To enhance the curb appeal of Buena Vista’s longleaf mural, Saralyn Stafford, the former assistant director of rural development at the Institute of Government, connected the Wellses with Jason Young, director of horticulture and grounds at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia at UGA.

With assistance from The Nature Conservancy, Young designed a garden through the UGA Connect to Protect program, which works with individuals, schools and municipalities across the state to install native plant pollinator gardens. Local experts with TNC provided historical background and recommendations on plants that accurately reflect the longleaf pine landscape depicted in the mural.

On a beautiful sunny Earth Day this past spring, local 4-H students helped install more than 500 plants, including drought-hardy grasses and native plants such as golden-aster and butterfly milkweed, in the 400-square-foot plot below the mural.

“I like helping the environment, and it makes me happy to give back to my community,” Ava Daniels, a sophomore at Marion County High School, said.

That enthusiasm is a hallmark of the Connect to Protect program and represents the wider UGA Public Service and Outreach mission, according to Young.

“The mural and building project has economic development at its heart, but this garden will boost its potential to reach a wider audience,” he explained. “Signage will educate visitors about the longleaf pine savanna and the importance of pollinator gardens — perhaps encouraging them to add such plants in their landscapes and provide a ripple effect.”

Local entrepreneurs Lori Weitzel and Liz Barker are vested in bringing attention to the area. The best friends have renovated a historic church in nearby Box Springs and are marketing it as The Bethany, an event space for weddings and other gatherings. They took a break from dropping off brochures at Buena Vista businesses to admire the mural.

“The blue color drew my eye and made me stop,” Barker said. “It’s a great way to attract younger people, who’ll come to take pictures and post it on Instagram.”

Leveraging community assets like public art to drive tourism from nearby Columbus is just one recommendation from UGA; the RVCCD plan also lays out infrastructure improvements that need to happen for compatible growth throughout the region.

Another outcome of the RVCCD effort involved Stafford, who has since retired from UGA, helping reconstitute Marion County’s development authority, which has been a catalyst for the city of Buena Vista to identify grant opportunities with governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations focused on economic development.

“Cultivating relationships in the area allows us to connect rural communities to UGA services and assets that help them build and grow,” Stafford said. “None of this would be happening without the initial work of the RVCCD plan process.”

Because of its involvement with UGA, earlier this year Marion County joined PROPEL (Planning Rural Opportunities for Prosperity and Economic Leadership), the Institute of Government’s award-winning rural development program.

It’s a welcome opportunity for Jay Wells, whose roots in the area date to the late 1820s. He’s seen other towns in the area die and doesn’t want that to happen here.

“Buena Vista has been good to me and my family, so we’re trying to do something to give back to the community and future generations," he said. "The University of Georgia is helping us uncover and showcase assets that otherwise we wouldn’t be able to do."

For more about the River Valley Community Compatible Development Plan, visit https://www.rivervalleyccd.com/the-plan.