The artist responsible for creating the murals on the floodwall in Maysville will be in town on Nov. 19, for a book signing.
Robert Dafford, of Dafford Murals will be at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center on Nov. 19, from 5 - 7 p.m., for a signing of his book, The Public Art of Robert Dafford. Both Dafford and author and photographer Philip Gould will be available to sign copies of the book, which provides a vivid depiction of the renowned artist's work through text and images by acclaimed photographer Philip Gould.
The floodwall murals in Maysville began in 1998. The first six murals located at Limestone Landing opening depict four centuries of history and the area's ties to the Ohio River. The tobacco mural at the end of Sutton Street represents the region's tobacco history; the Market Street and Germantown Fair murals depict social life of the county; and the last two murals to be painted feature Rosemary Clooney and her ties to Maysville. The Clooney murals were completed in 2007.
Dafford is one the most prolific and successful American muralists working today, with over 350 large scale public works in the United States and overseas. His work has garnered him numerous awards, including the Bronze Medaille d’Honneur de la Suresnes, France, and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Shawnee State University, in Portsmouth, Ohio, and has been featured in Smithsonian, National Geographic, Southern Living, the New York Times, the Seattle Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Ottawa Sun, and Le Droit.
The Public Art of Robert Dafford focuses on murals painted along the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys and puts his work into the context of the towns surrounding the murals. As Gould notes, “Dafford’s murals do not exist in a vacuum. They are vital parts of their respective communities.”
Cities featured in the book include: Maysville, Paducah, and Covington; Portsmouth, Ohio; Point Pleasant, W.Va.; Baton Rouge, Lafayette, New Orleans, and Rayne, La.; and Vicksburg, Miss.
The Kentucky Gateway Museum Center is located at 215 Sutton Street, Maysville. Contact 606-564-5865 for information.
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