AARP Mural Project is Complete!
Artist Whitney Landwehrmann at the ribbon cutting
What began as a bold idea funded by the AARP Community Challenge Grant in Spring 2024 is now a vibrant and deeply meaningful reality. The Watauga Arts Council, in partnership with Blue Ridge Conservancy, is proud to announce the completion of the Common Ground Mural Project—a series of three expansive tunnel murals along the Middle Fork Greenway.
Originally slated for completion by December 2024, the project was quickly humbled by the power of nature. Hurricane Helene delayed the start of the mural until Spring 2025, and the months that followed brought more rain than we’ve seen in years. As it turns out, tunnels sweat when it rains—a fact we learned the hard way. The walls would stay wet for hours, forcing the artist, Whitney Landwehrmann, to stop and wait, often multiple times a day.
But Whitney persisted. What was meant to take a month stretched into six months of determined, gritty, and inspired work. Through it all, Whitney brought to life the concept of Common Ground—not just on the walls of the tunnels, but in the very process of enduring, creating, and connecting.
A Living Canvas of Wildlife, Recreation, and Human Connection
Whitney didn’t just paint; she lived the mural. As she worked, the trail became her studio—and her source of inspiration.
One morning, she looked up from her brushes to find a deer silently watching her work. On another day, a river otter scurried through the tunnel. A group of 12 young women passed by with fly rods in hand, and Whitney, moved by the presence of women in a traditionally male-dominated sport, added a woman fly fishing to one of the murals.
Trail users became part of the journey. A woman caring for an end-of-life patient brought them weekly to watch Whitney paint. Students from the Arts for All Abilities program visited the tunnels, and Whitney watched foot traffic grow daily as word spread. What was once a quiet pass-through became a destination for inspiration and reflection.
Community-Sourced, Community-Fueled
The concept of “Common Ground” was born out of a desire to make these murals reflective of everyone—people of all ages, races, abilities, and backgrounds. Originally, we planned to gather ideas through a postcard exchange, asking residents to share how they could see themselves represented in the murals.
But when Hurricane Helene struck, the project shifted. Instead of standard prompts, we collected “Cards of Hope”, inviting people to express hope for those who had lost, gratitude to those who helped, and to serve our mural purposes - love for the land. One of the postcards we encouraged people to fill and decorate prompted them telling us what they love most about living in these mountains. These heartfelt notes revealed a powerful common thread: a deep love for the land.
As WAC Executive Director Amber Bateman explains,
“We knew our community needed something uplifting, and we saw an opportunity to activate creativity, while also capturing what we needed to understand about our shared connection to place.”
Those cards guided the mural’s content—from the types of animals depicted to the recreational scenes painted along the walls.
Blue Ridge Conservancy’s Wendy Patoprsty added her voice to ensure the murals were not only beautiful but educational:
“We saw this as an opportunity to use art as a tool for environmental literacy. The murals show the relationships between people and place in a way that invites curiosity and care.”
Whitney organized the murals into three categories:
Aquatic life (underwater creatures and habitats)
Terrestrial wildlife (animals above the waterline)
Human interaction (the ways we hike, fish, and play in this region)
Enhancing the Experience Through Technology
Thanks to additional support from South Arts and the Watauga Tourism Development Authority, we’re adding a layer of interactive storytelling to the murals.
Each tunnel will feature signage with the name of the mural and a QR code linking to digital content—including short films and expanded descriptions that provide cultural, ecological, and historical context.
Amber Bateman shares,
“We’re excited to use modern tools to deepen people’s sense of place and belonging. These signs turn a beautiful mural into a multi-dimensional learning experience.”
Part of a Bigger Picture: Art in the Outdoors
This mural project is one piece of the Art in the Outdoors Initiative, spearheaded by the Watauga Arts Council to weave public art into the outdoor experiences our community already loves—from trails to parks, markets to festivals.
Since launching the initiative in 2022, over $100,000 has been invested in public art, and current projects underway will bring another $130,000 into the county through artist commissions. These projects are funded through partnerships with the Downtown Boone Development Association, the Tourism Development Authority, and numerous state and regional grants.
We believe public art isn’t just decoration—it’s a community asset. It brings people together, tells our stories, and encourages us to care more deeply for where we live.
Come Experience the Murals Yourself
The Common Ground murals now stand complete, and we invite you to walk the tunnels, scan the codes, and experience the layers of meaning they contain. You’ll see not just art, but the spirit of a place, shaped by weather, wildlife, resilience, and hope.
This project challenged us, changed us, and brought us closer to one another. We hope it does the same for you.
Thank you again, to the AARP for making this possible.
Whitney chats with Leila Jackson during a site visit from Blue Ridge Conservancy and WAC
Board Members Leila Jackson and Beth Shanklin along with Executive Director, Amber Bateman, received a check from the AARP for the mural project.
Every kid who grows up in the High Country knows about looking for crawdads in the creek.