Pullman embraces Riverside Mural

A building in downtown Pullman has been transformed to look like it’s a part of the South Fork Palouse River.

Local and regional artists put their final touches on the Riverside Mural earlier this fall — one of the latest in a series of projects to beautify the city.

Palouse’s native flora and fauna are showcased in the newest art installation facing the Downtown Riverwalk. The faux foliage trails up a structure near Pine Street Plaza, which houses several stores like the Thomas Hammer Coffee Shop and Lily Bee’s Bouquet.

“We wanted something serene, but to also draw attention to our river,” Bobbie Ryder, Pullman Civic Trust president and Downtown Pullman Association chairperson, said. “This is the perfect canvas to bring people’s attention to taking care of our rivers. We have three rivers in our downtown and some people don’t even know.”

The Riverside Mural Project was spearheaded by the Pullman Arts Foundation and Downtown Pullman Association. Ryder said the project raised about $30,000 in private donations by more than 100 individual contributors, and local grants from the Chamber of Commerce and the Pullman Civic Trust.

Sarah Barnett, project manager and local painter, said the mural was one of the largest and fastest projects she’s been a part of. The mural extends more than 100 feet wide and around 20 feet tall, and was completed in a little over two weeks.

“It’s the biggest mural in our area outside of the Discovery Center,” Mallory Nash, Downtown Pullman Association executive director, said.

Nash said the Riverside Mural is one of more than a half dozen large-scale paintings heading for Pullman. The project is led by the Pullman Arts Foundation and its collaborators, to paint murals at Jefferson and Kamiak Elementary schools, the Palouse Discovery Science Center and the Hotel McCoy, as well as the Black Lives Matter Mural on Main Street.

Ryder said plans for the mural began about a year ago to connect the community with surrounding nature and wildlife.

Tori Shao, Seattle-based artist and landscape architect, said she designed the mural to celebrate the confluence of rivers and the shared community of downtown Pullman.

“I love how accessible public art is — we all own it,” Shao said. “In my mind, it builds a sense of community. It’s something that people can connect with, and I hope it inspires connection with the environment.”

Producing the mural was a community effort, Barnett said. About a dozen Washington State University art students volunteered to paint. Toward the end of the project, Barnett added, some community members approached them to help unsolicited.

Barnett said the mural is even more special by having many parts of the community contribute to its creation.

Ryder said the mural not only is a large reflection of the Palouse, but also significant to the town.

“It’s going to become a feature that will draw you into downtown,” Ryder said. “It’s also going to make your experience here more beautiful.”

The official debut of the Riverside Mural will take place at 11 a.m. today in Pine Street Plaza.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com