Sunday, June 06, 1999

Fountain murals cover plywood

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BY RANDY McNUTT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Jane Austin and Melanie Brown of CGI Digital Imaging hang vinyl mural panels on the plywood wall around the fountain. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

        Visitors to Fountain Square on Saturday found three women hanging high-tech “wallpaper” on a wooden barricade surrounding the historic Tyler Davidson Fountain.

        To sightseers, the new Fountain Mural Project is a welcome alternative to the green plywood erected to stop people from climbing on the fountain.

        “I think this is wonderful,” said Jose Quishpe, 58, of Westwood. “The idea makes sense. It will help until the fountain is restored.”

        A committee is trying to raise $3 million to restore the fountain. Meanwhile, the mural, designed by Michael Burns and Erin Holubeck, will help visitors celebrate the history of the 128-year-old landmark.

        Saturday morning, the women started applying the first of 52 panels — made of 3M Scotchprint vinyl — to Masonite board that covers the plywood walls around the fountain.

        Installers say the vinyl can withstand the weather and graffiti.

        The workers, from GCI Digital Imaging of Butler County's Ross Township, hope to finish the job by Monday or Tuesday. Each 8-by-13-foot side will feature 13 vinyl panels with adhesive on the back.

        After hanging several vinyl sheets for a few hours, the women stopped for the rest of the afternoon because heat had stretched the vinyl.

        At no charge to the city, GCI has digitally printed, transferred and laminated the panels, which feature pictures and history of the historic fountain.

        Company President Tom Bedacht said if he had charged the city, the job would be worth $8,000 to $12,000.

        “But I didn't intend to do that,” Mr. Bedacht said. “I thought it would be neat for the city to see a mural.”

        Most visitors walked around it, looked intently and smiled as it went up.

        “I like the idea of the panels,” said John Weintz, 28, of Oakley. “They'll show the history. The timing of the restoration could have been better, with Tall Stacks and other events coming up, but the job needs to be done.”

        Four windows in the mural allow visitors to see the fountain. The colorful mural depicts how the fountain was built, and what it has meant to Cincinnati.

        “The images started as small designs on the computer,” said Jane Austin, a digital graphics specialist with GCI. “We blew them up to 600 percent and transferred them to the vinyl. We knew we had the technology to help the city.”

        That's why Melanie Metcalf, 44, of Centerville, Ohio, and her parents, Joe and Betty Probasco, came to Fountain Square on Saturday. Mr. Probasco, 84, of Marietta, Ga., said he has always want ed to see the fountain. At first, he was disappointed to see it surrounded by a wall; but after he viewed the new vinyl images, he was happy.

        “I've always been curious about the fountain,” he said. “A guy with my last name, Henry Probasco, gave the fountain to the people. I think this is a good way to display it while it's being worked on.”

       

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