Work Underway On Large Street Mural In Downtown Bangor

The last week of May kicked off the start of a massive mural project in Downtown Bangor. The art installation, which will span 3400 square feet when completed, is a joint effort by Bangor Beautiful and Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness.

Read More: More Of Bangor's Blank Spaces To Get Mural Makeover

The piece, which runs along the shoulders of Hammond Street, from Main St. to Franklin St., is being worked on by dozens of local volunteers, including students from Bangor and Brewer High Schools.

It features a Maine Wildlife theme and will incorporate animals and plants native to the area.

The sheer size of the project is not only meant to be a sight to behold, but folks with Bangor Beautiful say they hope it will also decrease speeding in that area of town.

"The mural will increase the perceived size of the sidewalks and crosswalks, causing drivers to slow down."

According to the City Of Bangor, the project, which is being completed largely by a volunteer task force and will cost around $10K, was approved as part of the City's Comprehensive Plan.

" The Bangor City Council signed off on the project because it's in keeping with the City's Comprehensive Plan to provide more support for the arts and cultural organizations in Bangor by encouraging more public art. The project will cost about $10,000 and is being funded through grants and donations. "

The City's website states that further up Hammond Street, yet another art installation is set to take place in the form of a mural on one of the buildings that sits along the road.

"One grant of nearly $2,300 will go to Bangor Beautiful Inc. to commission a colorful multistory mural at 116 Hammond St., across from the Penobscot County Sheriff's Office. The mural by a Maine-based artist named Jared Goulette will depict the Maine woods in springtime. "

Bangor's Administrative and Communications Manager, David Warren, says the City Council approved four separate grants at the end of May that would benefit several different arts programs, including some of the most recent painting projects in the city.

"The mural at 116 Hammond St. is one of three new murals coming to downtown Bangor, all of which will serve to elevate the city's public art. The others are a Hammond Street ground mural organized by Bangor Beautiful and Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, and storm drain art on Main Street -- a mural that incorporates a storm drain in front of the Maine Discovery Museum. "

We're told the street mural is being painted using high-quality bio-based, water-soluble traffic paint.