Pompano Beach Adds Historic New Mural At BaCA

At the first Old Town Untapped of the season, residents and visitors attending the monthly street festival were introduced to a stunning new mural inside Bailey Contemporary Arts Center (BaCA) in Pompano Beach. Using a bold palette and emblematic images, artist Andrew Reid SHEd has created a homage to the history of the beloved Bailey building and Old Town Pompano Beach. "Legacy" was commissioned by the Cultural Affairs Department as part of the coming 2023 centennial celebration of the building, which was once a hotel and is now a thriving cultural venue.

"Andy truly captured the essence of our community's past, present, and future," said Ty Tabing, Cultural Affairs Director. "The positioning of the mural in the stairwell, leading from the entrance of BaCA to the upper level where the studios are located, was very intentional. The dynamic use of color immediately captures your attention, and the visual story ascends with each step. We felt this would be an engaging way to welcome visitors to explore the upper level of BaCA to view the works of our Artists in Residence inside their studios."

The mural, approximately 343 square feet, depicts iconic images in an overlapping narrative that portray a broad historical timeline from the area's agricultural past to its artistic renaissance. The mural is rich in details and invites multiple viewings to fully capture all the elements immersed in the work.

"The biggest challenge in creating this mural was the stairwell location and having to work very close to the wall," explained Andrew. "With a goal of drawing people up the stairs, I chose to use primary colors and varying scales." For Andrew, the brightness and vibrancy of the mural, which took about three weeks to create, was an aspect that was very important to him in order to capture the attention of visitors.

"As a visual storyteller I take pride in working closely with all stakeholders," he stated. "They become collaborators in my process, and I really enjoyed working with this team on this project."

For more information about all our public art projects, please visit, www.pompanobeacharts.org

About Andrew Reid SHEd

The artist has created monumental art in and in public spaces throughout the USA. His work can be found in places people transit or gather - courthouses, police and fire stations, subways, libraries, parks, community buildings. Extensive research during the design process ensures that he has a thorough understanding of the objective and goal of each unique project.

Beginning in New Zealand as a graphic artist and advertising art director, Andrew then spent six years in NYC as a graphic designer, painter and illustrator, In 1991, he moved to Miami Beach where he began large scale art commissions. Now, from his studio in Miami's Little Haiti or on location, he combines his experience in both graphic and public art to create iconic work in a range of media and scale from painted and printed murals to carved and cast sculptural forms.

About the City of Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs Department

The mission of the Cultural Affairs Department is to provide cultural programming that includes visual arts, digital media, music, film, theater, dance and public art for the enjoyment and enrichment of residents and visitors to Pompano Beach, Broward County, and the greater South Florida area. The department programs and manages the City's premiere cultural arts venues including the Pompano Beach Cultural Center, Ali Cultural Arts Center, Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, and the Blanche Ely House Museum. The department also oversees the City's Public Art Program and the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts' Our Town grant awarded to the Pompano Beach Crossroads place-making arts initiative.

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