Newsletter | July 2020 – New Mural Virtual Dedication

 

 
 
“Pages from Our Library’s Past”
 

Our 30th Mural is Done!
We are excited to announce that our 30th mural, “Pages from Our Library’s Past” is finished. The mural is located at the new Punta Gorda Charlotte Library located at 401 Shreve Street. You can find it on the arched wall facing Shreve Street.
We typically follow the completion of a mural with a dedication and ribbon cutting. During these unusual times, that is not possible. So instead, this newsletter will serve as our virtual ribbon cutting / dedication.
The Mural Society was established 25 years ago with the mission to “Preserve the rich History of the Punta Gorda area through the beauty of Mural Art”. We have created and maintain 29 murals throughout the city with each capturing a slice of this rich history.
This new mural is no exception. It celebrates the 112-year history of a public library in Punta Gorda. The 2-page ‘scrapbook’ in the center of the mural presents old newspaper articles that tell the story of the library’s history dating back to 1908. All five previous library locations have been captured showing the growth of the library through the years. A librarian and children of all ages sit and climb their way around the stacks and shelves of books surrounding this history. Interesting book titles are scattered across the spines, encouraging kids of all ages to take a closer look.
Our artist is Skip Dyrda from Sarasota. He began painting the mural in mid February and was well on his way when the pandemic shut everything down in mid March. Fortunately he was able to navigate through the crisis and continue to paint. He finished the mural on July 4th. This is the 4th mural he has painted for the Society and we couldn’t be happier with it.
It is always exciting when we can put a mural on a building close to or associated with the history we’re capturing. Being able to put the library’s history on our new library building is special, and we thank the Charlotte County Board of Commissioners for allowing us to do so.

 
 
 

See more photos and read more about the mural and the history it captures on our website CLICK HERE.

 
 
 

As a non-profit, the Society raises all the funds needed to create each mural. For this mural we received mural sponsor level donations from seven members of our community. In addition, individuals and groups sponsored their favorite book and the title was included in the mural. These along with the many individual contributions from the community at large made this mural happen.
We want to take this opportunity to recognize the folks who make this mural possible:
MURAL SPONSORS
Charlie & Carolyn Brox
Sushila Cherian
In Memory of Dr. JV Cherian
Friends of the Punta Gorda Charlotte Library
Caramine Kellam & Fred Greenway
Frank & Mary Mazur
Shively Charitable Foundation
Lt Col Scot & Jill Shively
Bob & Penny Stiffler
The Community

BOOK SPONSORS
Title Sponsor
The Art of Falconry
by Frederick II of Hohenstaufen		 Dr. Daniel Carey
Charlotte’s Web
by E.B. White		 Don & Teresa Sabatini
The Everglades: River of Grass
by Marjory Stoneman Douglas		 Frank Desguin
A Giraffe and a Half
by Shel Silverstein		 Nancy Sharpless
Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens		 Jeanne & Kevin Hogan
The Ladies of Punta Gorda
by Libby McDonald Schaefer		 Kelly & Pete Gaylord
A Land Remembered
by Patrick Smith		 Biking with Friends
Les Misérables
by Victor Hugo		 Katie Mazzi & Family
Little House in the Big Woods
by Laura Ingalls Wilder		 Karin & Tim Stewart
Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott		 Donna & John Peterman
Llama Llama Red Pajama
by Anna Dewdney		 Kim Foss
The Old Man and the Sea
by Ernest Hemingway		 Twin Isles Women
Painting the Town
by The Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society		 Dianne Tufts & Kendall Ellingson
Palmetto Leaves
by Harriet Beecher Stowe		 Kate Curley
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914
by David McCulloch		 Steve & Elinor Kline
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee		 Jill Shively
Where the Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak		 Don & Teresa Sabatini
Again, THANK YOU for all your support.
Together we continue to PAINT THE TOWN!

 
 

 
Don’t Forget to get Your Copy
of Our 25th Anniversary Book
“PAINTING THE TOWN”
Maybe grab a pack of Mural Postcards
as well to send to FriendsAvailable at Copperfish Books
103 W. Marion Avenue
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
Buy it ONLINE – or call 941-205-2560
Mon-Fri 10am-2pm
They offer Curbside Pickup or Shipping