Marshall American Legion taking submissions for community art project for building
The American Legion building has been a part of downtown Marshall for decades, but hadn't been used much in recent years.
But after Tropical Storm Helene devastated much of downtown Marshall, including the building, which sits at the corner of Bridge Street and Back Street/Jerry Plemmons Way, a number of organizations are working to make the building better than ever.
Marshall resident and U.S. Army veteran Sarah Scully is organizing an art contest to raise funds for the nearly 100-year-old building, the only American Legion building in Western North Carolina that was severely impacted by Helene's floods.
The art contest is designed to help transform the American Legion building into a cultural hub and event space, including potentially hosting music performances, according to Scully.
The roughly 1,500-square-foot structure is needing a complete rebuild.
The team is currently constructing a 400-square-foot party deck, and plans also include a catering kitchen, two bathrooms, a green room and a stage.
The project, costing $260,000, has received roughly $80,000 in donations from volunteers and labor from various organizations, including the Three Rivers First United Methodist Church in Three Rivers, Ohio, who helped reframe the building.
Every Angle Construction, located just across the street, plans to work with the Legion to help perform construction, as they quoted the buildout at $260,000.
"What's really beautiful is, you can see the potential of it," Scully said. "You have six picture windows. You can see the island, the river, everything."
Scully said the Post 317 team wanted to rebuild the Legion in the same spirit in which the community, volunteers and military, including the Army's 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions, rallied together in the Helene rebuild.
Joe Schmidt is Post 317's shift commander.
"We would like to be more interactive with the community, and what better way than to have local artists paint murals on our building?"
"We hope visitors and veterans alike will come and enjoy one of the best views of the river."
According to Scully, the rebuilding efforts have already helped to revitalize the Post as a whole, as attendance at meetings and participation in the group has increased since the Post held its first post-Helene meeting in November.
"If you look at where the Legion is and the parking that it has, it's like the best location in downtown," Scully said, adding that membership numbers and attendance meetings have both increased post-Helene.
The suggested requirements for the artwork are to be military and patriotic in nature, showing American Legion & Post 317, showcasing one or all six branches of the military. But Scully said they can be either subtle or overt representations.
"The artwork doesn't have to be overtly patriotic," Scully said. "It can be subtle and have the town and the river and the mountains."
The artwork at the Post 317 building will not only offer local artists a chance to showcase their talents, but will also allow the artists' work to be on display in Marshall and inspire current and future Legion members.
"We want to keep that spirit alive and open up our Post for events in the future. We thought, 'Why not create beauty out of the destruction?'
"Why put in some tile when you could put in a mosaic? Why put in a regular wall when you can do something artistic? Why not bring beauty back into the building now that we have a clean slate?"
But for Scully, who spoke with The News-Record in November, the artmaking process can provide breakthroughs for the creators and the community at large.
A survivor of sexual trauma while serving in the U.S. Army, Scully suffered from PTSD as a result of her military sexual trauma.
"I first did art therapy at the VA, and it was so beneficial. All of these alternative types of therapy, rather than just sitting in a therapist's office and talking about your problems, when you can look around and see the beauty that other people have put into the world, it really helps," Scully said.
"I think it will help not just the veterans but the people that have been through so much with Helene, for people to enjoy this space."
Scully said she hopes the contest can become a community art project.
Ideas posed by Scully include four murals, one on each exterior wall. Another option is two murals, one on each side of the barn door in the event space opening to the stage.
Other ideas for projects include the potential for glass blowers to supply lighting fixtures in the bathrooms, hallway or office.
The Legion team will take submissions related to mosaics, woodworking, ironwork, textiles, photography and mixed media as well.
"The whole thing will become an art piece, not just little bits of art. That's the vision - for the whole thing to become a piece of art," Scully said.
More: Marshall native Sarah Scully's new weekly news broadcast a program for and of the people
The Legion team plans to announce contest winners around June 16.
"Everybody talks about 'Build back better,'" Scully said. "We can bring beauty back at the same time."
Johnny Casey is the Madison County communities reporter for The Citizen Times and The News-Record & Sentinel. He can be reached at 828-210-6074 or jcasey@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Marshall American Legion taking submissions for building art project
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