With grants and donations, Vesper now features one of the largest outdoor art murals in the area. The artist, Matthew J Miller worked this summer and fall on the project.
The Vesper school district was consolidated & closed on June 30th, 1966. The gymnasium and school property eventually became the Vesper Community Center. The Vesper school was well known for baseball and the cardinal was its mascot. The limestone school and much of the City of Vesper is gone,
in the wind, but community and life endures. The Kansas Flag was designed by Lincoln seamstress, Hazel Avery, in 1925.
Funding was awarded from both the Kansas Department of Commerce Office of Rural Prosperity Rural Mural program and the Kansas Department of Commerce Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission Mural & Public Art program with federal support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Along with community center donations, Dane G Hansen has provided a substantial grant to help fund the project and provide some of the necessary matching funds. The mural project also has received funding from the Strategic Economic Expansion and Development (SEED) program coordinated by the LCEDF
Benefits of Wind Power
Wind energy has benefited Lincoln County residents. Hundreds of modern large scale wind turbines now dot the landscape all across the southern half of the Lincoln county along I-70 which can be seen from the community center. The wind farm operators make substantial voluntary payments in lieu of taxes to the county and schools and a portion of these payments fund a Wind Economic Benefit fund (WEB) which provides grants to the schools and area non profits as well as county infrastructure projects. The community center has been a recipient of WEB grants. The chairs and tables inside the center, kitchen appliances, television screens, emergency equipment and other improvements have been paid in substantial part with WEB grants.
New Art/Eco Tourist Destination for the county
The Vesper community center is located off a paved road right off of the K-18 “Scenic byway” that connects with Lucas and is not too far from Wilson which are both well known for their outdoor art exhibits and enjoy a lot of art and eco tourism. One goal of this large scale art project is to add Vesper (and Lincoln County) as a destination tourists visit when they are visiting other art sites in Wilson and Lucas, Hunter or other murals that have recently been commissioned. The mural work in Vesper, when completed will be one of the largest outdoor pieces of art in the area.
Making the Vesper Community Center more vibrant and attractive is part of the strategic goal to bring more events and find more uses for the facility and grounds. Vesper only has a population of 65 people, and is upwards of 10 miles away from the county’s two main population centers of roughly 1100 and 300 people, but the facility often draws as many as 300 or more visitors in a month between it’s community bingo, rental events, public meetings, farmers and craft markets and memorial day meal.
Since a portion of these grants will need to be “matched” with volunteer “in kind” labor, and volunteers are needed this summer to help with landscaping, mowing, pressure washing the exterior walls of the building, scraping and painting the merry ground, moving the outdoor awning, and other prep work around the exterior of the building this summer. Some of the projects also require skilled labor and may include installing solar powered lighting around the building, (a lift will be provided) and installing a ground mounted sign.
- Volunter Clean Up/Prep Day for Mural
Super Big thanks to all the volunteers who brushed and pressure washed the building, scraped the merry go round and prepared a delicious lunch for everyone. All the equipment/tools were loaned by volunteers and a LOT of hard work got done. Thank you Marlin Huehl Jr. and Corey Harlow, Kelly Gourley and Sarah Smith, Linda ...Read more… - Special Events During Mural Project
A volunteer prep day was scheduled Saturday July 8th from 9am to 2pm to power wash the building and do other clean up tasks. Public viewings and “meet the artist” exhibit events happened this summer during several of the farmers markets. The first “meet the artist” event was at the Farmers Market on ...Read more… - Meet the Artist
The ArtistMr. Miller, who has a B.F.A from Fort Hays State University and a B.A History of Art from the University of Kansas, has participated and won numerous awards at local art exhibitions throughout Kansas and has painted murals in other communities including the “Brush the Bricks” indigenous tribes and the “Dragon and Tiger” murals ...Read more… - Community Engagement for Mural Design
Community EngagementThrough in person surveys at community center events, artwork ideas have been solicited from the community. A Kansas artist has been chosen, Matt Miller of Hays Kansas to paint a circa 800 square foot mural that will wrap around the 15 to 20 foot high west and south facing metal clad exterior sides of ...Read more… - Grant Funding Secured for MuralGrant FundingWhen sources of art funding were sought for the large mural project earlier this year, Kelly Gourley from the Lincoln County Economic Development office suggested that the community center apply for two competitive grant programs offered by the State. Vesper’s applications were very well received, and funding has been awarded from both the Kansas ...Read more…
- Mural to Begin This SummerRural Mural Art “In the Wind” to begin this summer in Vesper The Vesper Community Center, an all-volunteer run and staffed organization, is having an outdoor mural series of art scenes painted around the exterior of the facility this summer. After making substantial updates to the interior of the facility, efforts are underway to make the ...Read more…
