Artist Yatika Fields of Tulsa, Okla., will begin work on a mural in Memorial Park on Monday.
The mural will be painted on the retaining wall along the stairs that lead up to the Killed In Action memorial.
Fields was selected from 24 applicants within a 200-mile radius by a committee of community members and area artists, according to a press release from the city.
The committee considered Fields as their preferred choice because of "his observations of the context of the site, his strong desire to develop a work that was very specific to this location and his high artistic excellence."
The committee debated over the decision to select an artist with a vision and a process rather than a design, accepting that Fields' process, and his philosophy (and his strong body of past achievement) was an ideal fit for this opportunity, according to Jack Becker, public committee member and founder and lead principal consultant of Forecast Public Art.
Fields will also be involved in several art related events over the coming week. He will present a public artist talk from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Siloam Springs Public Library where he will discuss his inspiration, process and life as a painter.
Fields will also be working with a select group of Siloam Springs High School students to create original art and inspire passion for the arts in the next generation.
General News on 11/10/2019