Fund drive for mural replacement nears $15K goal

An online funding drive that aims to recreate an iconic downtown mural is nearing its $15,000 goal, with more than $12,000 raised from 82 donors by noon today.

The effort, housed on GoFundMe.com, is titled “Recreate Downtown Springfield’s Robert E. Smith Mural.” The organizer is listed as Jesse Tyler, a partner with Springfield lifestyle brand SGFCO LLC and the person who first drew public attention to the destruction of a 2000-painted mural that honored the legacy of prominent artist Robert E. Smith with a community effort to depict one of his paintings on a building at 400 W. Walnut St.

Nicole Brown, a real estate agent and former executive director of Sculpture Walk Springfield, is Tyler’s partner in the fundraising effort.

The mural was painted over at the direction of the building’s owner, David Pere, who is moving his business, FMTM LLC – which stands for From Military to Millionaire – into the space this spring, according to past reporting. Pere, however, has stepped up as the top contributor to the GoFundMe drive and was one of the first to contribute after the account was created on March 6, according to Tyler.

In an email, Tyler said he had talked to Pere and was encouraged to learn that he wants to recreate the mural. Tyler said he and Brown are collaborating on raising funds and public support to recreate the mural, with excess funds supporting the maintenance and preservation of existing public artworks, as well as further activities and work celebrating the legacy of Smith.

The funds collected are being directed to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks Public Art Protection Fund, and they will ultimately be administered by the Springfield Regional Arts Council Inc, according to Tyler. The proceeds are intended to be used to put a new version of the mural in a different location downtown. That location has not yet been selected.

“A few different people have volunteered options,” Tyler said in an interview today. “We just have to be thoughtful in how we choose. The scenario we’re in is that a lot of people want it to be in their space. We have to be thoughtful and not just pick a spot semi-arbitrarily or by our own preference.”

Tyler said a location should be selected within a week or two, and he added that the organizers’ goal is to proceed thoughtfully and not be in a rush.

Similarly, an artist has not yet been selected, but Tyler said a few have expressed an interest in the project.

“We have a few people that would really like to do it; we just have to think through the best way to get someone engaged,” he said. “Most likely, there will be a call for artists, and we’ll collect bids and select from there.”

Tyler was upbeat about the effort.

“Things are happening – we’re working on it steadily, and we want to do it quickly, but we’re doing our best to be responsible in how we take care of it,” he said. “We don’t want to create any new drama. So far, so good.”

The GoFundMe page states that the original estimate of $15,000 to professionally recreate the mural is expected to vary based on the location and scale of the final work.

“Expenses would include preparation of the surface, artist fees and labor, materials and equipment,” the project description states. “We are working to secure additional grant and donor funding, which gives us confidence we can complete the project if its cost is greater than this campaign’s goal.”

Some donors have given directly to the CFO fund, bypassing the GoFundMe page, and as of 11 a.m. today, the total in the two accounts topped $18,700, Brown said via text.

“My initial goal in the CFO fund was $25,000,” Brown said. “I’m hopeful we can make that and create a really special memorial for Robert E. Smith.”

Tyler said he has also applied for a $5,000 grant from the Downton Springfield Community Improvement District and is waiting to hear if that is successful.

“It seems like with some assurance, we have the funding to get this done,” Tyler said.

Other top donations to the GoFundMe are from an anonymous $1,000 donor, with $500 donations listed from Erin Danastasio, Paul Scowden, Andrew Baird, Erin and Jesse Tyler, and another anonymous giver.

Smith is described on the GoFundMe page as “arguably Springfield’s most famous painter,” with international recognition as a folk artist. He lived in Springfield from the 1970s until his death in 2010.

Brown told SBJ in previous reporting that Smith himself – in his 70s at the time – contributed to the mural effort, climbing a ladder after hours to make small additions and repairs as the project was being completed.