Celebrating the rejuvenation of the theater’s mural in downtown Kingman are mural artist Kirk Seese, Kristina Michelson, (cutting the ribbon), and about 30 members of Kingman Main Street, Beale Street Theater, Kingman Area Chamber of Commerce, City of Kingman and random supporters. Photo by Aaron Ricca
KINGMAN – One of Kingman’s most predominant and colorful murals got a touchup thanks to a dedicated artist and supportive community.
Kingman Main Street (KMS) brought artist and sculpturer Kirk Seese back to town to throw a new layer of color and protection on his mural originally painted on the southside wall of Beale Street Theater in 2018.
The 1,800 square foot mural was completed as the first phase of the City of Kingman’s Interactive Mural Program and partnered with the Kingman Center for the Arts (KCA) as part of the Art Alley Mural project.
This is the first of his murals Seese had to come back to touch up. It also stands out as one of his favorites.
He’s gotten to become friends with many of the locals and volunteers who worked closely with him to organize and promote the project.
“Anytime you paint or install a sculpture for a town, it creates a connection between the artist and the community,” Seese said.
The initial art took Seese about five days to paint. The 2024 facelift took three. He started Sunday, Sept. 14. Monday’s blustery winds slowed him down.
“The wind was taking the paint right off the wall,” he said.
He got right back to work Tuesday to finish the job in time to join in the evening’s unveiling and after-party.
“This time it went a lot faster so now I’m just refilling in the colors,” Seese said.
KMS volunteer Paul Gaines contacted Seese in July because the mural was deteriorating from the constant sun and wind. KMS got a grant application and it was approved within a few weeks.
“At that point, Kirk agreed to come back whenever we were ready,” Gaines said.
There were a few reasons for the touch-up. A need to preserve the mural’s colors for another five to 10 years.
“The wall gets full Arizona sun all year long,” Seese said. “Over five or six years, it can deteriorate the saturation of the paint, so it got a little bit washed out.”
He had to add some designs to the new concrete and doors built during theater renovations.
“Those doors kind of punched a hole in the design,” he said.
There was also some vandalism.
“Someone splashed gray paint right in the middle where people stand when they take pictures,” Seese said.
The vandalism was covered, and a new splash of color popped out.
Paint was the co-star of the act.
Seese used roughly 50 cans of spray paint for the original and retouch. This time he put UV clearcoat over the paint to seal the art from getting scorched by the sun.
He used Rust-Oleum last time, but this time went with high-end Montana Gold and Ironlak.
“These are the brands the world-famous international street artists use,” he said. “I’m hoping with the superior quality paint, the colors will last longer.”
Funding for the retouch came from a $5,000 grant from the City of Kingman’s Interactive Mural Program and the Art Alley Mural project. The original work was financed by fundraising efforts on the part of KMS.
Picking Beale Street Theater as the site for the mural was a joint effort between the then-blossoming organizations KMS and KCA, but the ultimate decision came down to KMS.
“We had been discussing downtown and how our organizations could do to facilitate the growth of downtown,” said Kristina Michelson, Executive Director for KCA and Beale Street Theater.
The site worked and now hosts the occasional photo opportunity for tourists and economic development purposes.
“The mural is an aesthetically pleasing addition to the building and the downtown community,” Michelson said.
The KCA board of directors has discussed adding more color to the theater.
“We don’t plan on having anything specific, but we plan to put some artwork on the windows facing the Third Street side,” Michelson said.
The community came together to treat the artist well.
Local resident Sylvia Shaffer rented Seese her downtown Air BNB. Valen Hanes from Hanes Drywall donated a scissor lift he rented at half price from Mertens Heavy Equipment Repair and the Cellar Door & Wine Bar opened their bar on a Tuesday when it would normally be closed to host a reception for Seese.
For Tuesday evening’s unveiling, the Lee Williams High School drumline marched down to add a soundtrack, joining about 30 members of Kingman Main Street, Beale Street Theater, Kingman Area Chamber of Commerce, City of Kingman and random supporters.
Seese was particularly impressed with the Beale Street renovations.
“It definitely feels welcome and set up for large groups of people to come down, hang out, have dinner and listen to some live music,” Seese said. “I love that one of my pieces is facing Route 66.”
The Beale Street Theater project is a prime example of most of Seese’s mural work.
Each project means something to an artist.
“With the design, I like the idea that this mural blends in with the Native American culture and brings out the sunset colors when you think of the southwest,” he said.
“It’s satisfying to know I have artwork in another town or another state and that people and their community will enjoy it for as long as it’s up,” Seese said. “You feel like you’ve done something positive in the world, something good, added to the world and it has a life of its own after that.”
Aaron Ricca
