Cover Story

Kimberlee Dannette Thomas is a Chandler, Oklahoma native. She relocated to Jackson County in 1986. She has five children, four grandchildren, is co-owner of Eye On Magazine. She is recognized from her years of co-hosting on many Cable Channel 15 & 6 broadcast with Bud & David Black. She earned her Associates from ASUN in Fine Arts.

Artful Healing

There is no arguing that we are living in a time of unrest where anxious thoughts abound. We are all looking for ways to quiet our minds and breathe easy for a moment. Dustyn Bork, along with his students and backed by the community’s support, has accomplished just that. I visited with him recently about his involvement with the Mural art popping up all over Batesville. His professional Bio is impressive to say the least and we as a community are favored to have him and his talents among us.

Dustyn Bork is a visual artist and Professor of Art at Lyon College. Bork earned an MFA in printmaking from Indiana University in 2002 and his BFA in printmaking from the University of Michigan in 1999. He teaches a range of studio art classes including 2D Design, Painting, Art History, Printmaking, and Murals. He maintains an active exhibition record and has shown regionally, nationally, and internationally. Recent solo exhibitions include: Tinnin Fine Arts Center, Three Rivers College, Poplar Bluff, Missouri; Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas; Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas; Material Art Space in Memphis, Tennessee; Case Works at the Art Museum at University of Memphis; and the Thea Foundation in North Little Rock, Arkansas. He has also participated in international projects, including an artist residencies at the Mark Rothko Art Center in Daugavpils, Latvia; the Franz Masereel Centre in Kasterlee, Belgium; and at the MIRA artist residency in Martignano, Italy.

Bork was feeling frustrated with the negativity and divisiveness he was seeing on social media. He like so many others was shook by the instances of social injustice and civil unrest we’ve witnessed this summer. “I wanted to do something to use my voice and my talents for positive change. The idea of adding a mural, something I am familiar with and have had positive experiences, came to me as a way to move forward to heal personally and share a message of hope for our community.” Following the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” Bork sat out to see if others were as interested in his idea as he was. In four short hours he had raised over $1000 with a crowdsourced fundraiser on social media. The support was undeniable. With the help of Carly Dahl at the Batesville Area Arts Council, he put together a design and moved to find a location. Vanessa Adams and the Board of the Independence County Library graciously offered up the wall space for the mural. Current Lyon students Juli Howard and Molly Mellor, alum Haven Johnson, and BHS teacher Margo Baker helped

tremendously with painting the UNITY mural.

Bork is actively engaged in the local arts community and has added ten murals to Batesville with the help of his students at Lyon College. When asked about the catalyst for so many murals and the class at Lyon Bork shared that it was born out of two projects. “The first was in 2016, when the Melba reached out to us to do a mural inside the Theatre during renovation.” A couple of Lyon students, along with Bork and his wife, Carly completed that one. It is a 17th century style rococo cloudscape. The second was the PROTECT mural on the Emergency Services auxiliary building by the new Community Center. “Judge Robert Griffin, gave us the opportunity and great canvas on the side of the building. That was the impetus and genesis of our murals class.”

That inaugural class is quite a successful group of students. Morgun Henson completed two solo murals in town, one at the Stepping Stones clinic in WRMC and also the “Be the Light” mural on the side of Siloe. Currently she is the marketing director at David’s Home in Batesville. Victoria Hutcheson in that group went on to complete two murals in communities in Missouri, one for the New Madrid and another for Morley. She is now attending graduate school at Florida State University. Mckinley Street, after working on murals in Batesville, went on to a post-baccalaureate program in Florence, Italy and will be starting graduate school at the Paris College of Art. Kacy Perkins has completed murals in California and has worked on projects with another professional muralist helping to design large scale projects and assisting on painting them. Felicia Horn helped with the first murals as well and will be starting her art education career this fall teaching at West Elementary. Hayley Cormican, now a senior at Lyon College, completed two more murals completely on her own at Main Street Nutrition and on the side of the small cottages across from Kroger. She also served as Student Government Association and has ambitions to go to law school. According to Bork, “All of these students have gained valuable experiences in the murals program and applicable skills with them to their various artistic endeavors, and they have accomplished all of this in just two short years. They set the bar high for the next wave and current students.”

This summer Bork and the Lyon College Art Program completed the Blossoming Main Street Mural on the corner of Main Street and Central. The mural was funded through a grant by the Department of Arkansas Heritage and was supported by Main Street Batesville and the Batesville Area Arts Council. When asked about the subject matter for the mural Bork shared, “It is of an apple blossom, the state flower of Arkansas, and the symbolism of the mural was selected to represent the natural beauty of our regions. We also wanted

to show a visual metaphor for growth and beauty to represent how Main Street is blossoming, both visually and economically.” There are indeed so many wonderful opportunities for our community including the Melba Theatre, multiple eateries, two gallery spaces, antique shops, the Pocket Park, Maxfield Park, axe throwing, a gym, The Royal hotel and numerous new colorful murals. Bork further stated, “This has been an exciting process to be a part of. I am proud of what my students have added to the community in terms of their art and visible message.”

There are more Mural projects on the horizon, “We are beginning a large project in Cave City for the library and the Bank of Cave City, which will be unique. We also have murals slated at the Batesville Fire Department, which will be very historical and iconic. And a patriotic themed mural at the VFW that I am really excited to begin to recognize the service of those who have served in the armed forces and in conflict.”

We would be remiss if we did not mention the overwhelming support Bork and the Mural projects receive from the community. Local stakeholders such

as building owners and organizations, local community members, arts grant money, The Melba, Lyon College, the Batesville Area Arts Council, Siloe and the County Judge. Citizens bank has supported the murals in the Pocket Park financially. Home Depot has given discounts and donated paint for the Coca-Cola mural restoration. The Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce and CocaCola helped with logistics for the Coca-Cola mural. Bork commented, “Even organizations like Batesville Montessori have supported us through a collaborative mural project Lyon students did in the playground.” MCS and Hix rental have been a huge help with lifts and equipment.

“Art can reach people, it has the power to visually grab your attention and stick with you” Bork shared. They have created a mural map and self-guided tour for people to walk or drive and tour all of the recent murals. “Murals offer a ray of positivity and can captivate the attention of audiences of all age ranges and from various walks of life. I truly believe art has the power to heal us.” N