GLEN MORGAN, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce Foundation and various other entities have announced the planned installation of 50-foot Bridge Pier Murals on two I-64 bridge piers in Glen Morgan along Beaver Creek.
The murals will feature a colorful, modern configuration of scenes spanning three sides of each pier, providing six distinct sides which will provide a burst of color and representative activities for all incoming visitors.
The artists involved in the creation of the murals have attempted to capture the activities available throughout the Southern WV region, including mountain biking, fishing, hiking, climbing, and kayaking. Also included have been animals native to the Mountain State, including the cardinal, black bear, great horned owl, brown trout, and monarch butterfly, as well as local flora such as the rhododendron, dogwood leaves and flowers, and jewelweed.
“The BRCCC Foundation has created the Piney Creek Gorge Bridge Mural as a captivating representation of Beckley-Raleigh County’s newest outdoor recreation destination, Piney Creek, and its inaugural blueway connection to the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve,” said the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
“This vibrant design captures the wonders of the Piney Creek Gorge, one of the NRG National Park’s most significant tributaries, incorporating an array of scenes and symbols that celebrate the local history, outdoor recreation, flora, and fauna…Furthermore, the artwork highlights various exciting outdoor activities that locals and world travelers enjoy in the Piney Creek Gorge, including mountain biking, hiking, climbing, whitewater kayaking, fishing and more.”
The artists behind the murals are Nichole Westfall and Melissa Doty. Westfall is a Charleston-based muralist whose style utilizes large defined blocks of color and tends to emphasize subject matter such as animals, small plants, and objects. Westfall’s work emerges from an appreciation of beauty and humor, and the concept of making small things large.
Doty is a self-taught artist also based out of Charleston who works primarily with watercolors and acryla gouache. She is known for her work with vibrant colors and aims to infuse her work – both large-scale murals and smaller originals – with joy and wonder.
The installation phase of this project will begin in earnest with a ribbon cutting ceremony set to take place on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at 2:00pm at the bridge piers location along Route 19 in Glen Morgan.
Corporate, Foundation, and Public Donors for this project include A-1 Services LLC, Beaver Land Company, Beckley Area Foundation, Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce, Buckner Woodford Clay III Memorial Fund, Carter Family Foundation, City of Beckley, Grandview Country Store, Raleigh County Commission, Richard & Beth Jarrell Family Fund, The Resort at Glade Springs, Truist Foundation, United Rentals, WVU Institute of Technology.
Individual Project Donors include Austin Caperton, Ken and Marcia Dunlap, Donnie and Linda Holcomb, Chad Hutchinson, Dr. Tom Jarrett, Roy Shrewsbury II, Carolyn Susie Stanley.
“One of the main goals of the BRCCC Foundation is to work on the continual upgrading and improvement of our ‘product’ which is our community. With the designation of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, the foundation has made it a priority to address the appearance of our community,” said the BRCCC Foundation.here.
 “One way to improve the appearance of the community is to add public art. A proliferation of arts projects in a community demonstrates an appreciation of creativity and diversity which can create the kind of quality of place that attracts others.”  For more information on the Glen Morgan Bridge Pier Project, the artists creating the murals, opportunities to get involved, visit the BRCCC Foundation website