WHITEHALL — The White Lake Wonders mural, which artists Stephen Hargash and Billy Budd completed this summer in the Whitehall Pocket Park, was officially dedicated Friday afternoon in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Hargash, who was the main muralist - Budd is his assistant - stated following the ribbon-cutting that his involvement with the mural came somewhat by chance. While he is an experienced public artist with over 30 years experience with murals and sculptures, he said he does not usually apply to the public call for prospective artists like the one put out by the Arts Council of White Lake-Nuveen Center in fall 2024. However, despite not being a local - Hargash is from Frankenmuth - he said something about the project spoke to him.
Once he was selected, Hargash said, he researched the area to find the things that make it special so he could include as many as possible in the mural. Among the features depicted were, of course, White Lake itself, as well as the White River Light Station, the Sailboat Trees sculpture in Covell Park, a portion of the city's bike trail, the World's Largest Weathervane in Montague, and more.
Hargash said he made an effort to connect each feature of the painting together to give the work a narrative feel. The Sailboat Trees sculpture links to the bike trail, which leads to a field of flowers, which leads to White Lake, and so on. He said community response was positive throughout the process and especially so once the mural was completed, which he felt meant he had done what he hoped to do in capturing the things that make this area special.
The mural, said ACWL-Nuveen director Erin Peyer, has been a dream of hers since learning about the Bright Walls mural festival in Jackson, which took place annually from 2018-22 until, the festival's website said, "we ran out of walls." She felt a mural of that caliber would be a perfect fit in Whitehall, and even more so once the city approved the creation of the Pocket Park, between CatchMark Technologies and Bell's of Whitehall.
Peyer said many artists applied, with three chosen to submit a draft of what they might paint before Hargash was ultimately selected by a committee of people from ACWL-Nuveen, CatchMark, the city, and the White Lake Community Fund.
The process of painting the mural, as you might imagine, was exacting. It took a series of power washes, Hargash said, to prepare the wall for painting in a way that would make the mural last. He also joked that the wall looks a lot longer when you are standing at one end of it, which he obviously had to do to paint the mural. The mural also stretches from the ground to the top of the wall, which made the process of painting the very bottom of it a physical challenge as well as a creative one.
Hargash and Budd worked together to develop a sense of what they wanted out of the mural, and the selection committee also presented ideas. He said he is proud of the final product and is thrilled to have been a part of something special and lasting in the community.
Budd added that the Pocket Park is the perfect place to relax and view the mural. He thanked the community for their support.
