OXFORD, Ohio — Oxford now has one of its first pieces of public art off of High Street with the “Oxford Hive Mural” by artist Joe Prescher.
“People just get really happy when they see it,” Prescher said. “I couldn’t hope for more than what’s happened. They talk about it, tell their friends, and get selfies with it. People really love and enjoy it.”
For years, Prescher has wanted to create public art in Oxford, and now two buildings, located in the alley leading to Mac & Joes Restaurant and Saloon, in Uptown, have become the canvas where he, and a number of friends, neighbors, students, and community members, have created the public art project.
The work of art spans two walls. Prescher began painting the mural mid-August, and now, the mural is nearly complete. The project has been done in three phases, including painting the honeycomb, filling in the honeycomb, and adding the giant bees.
“I’ve still got the upper wall to go, and I’m going to introduce a few more bees, and then, it will be finished,” he said.
As people are walking down the alley, they feel like they’re inside a massive beehive.
“The concept of bees has been on the minds of people from Oxford,” Prescher said. “The idea came up that it needed to be something more pattern-oriented, or experiential. So, the idea of it being a beehive just popped into my head, and from there, it just took off. I did a mock-up of a honeycomb with a few bees on it.”
Also, the idea of painting a beehive comes from Oxford’s own history with beekeeping. While living in Oxford, Lorenzo Langstroth invented the modern beehive and revolutionized the honey industry. Langstroth Cottage is now a National Historic Landmark on the Western Campus of Miami University.
The Hive mural has been a dream of Prescher’s for years. In May, he got the approval, and in August, he started a GoFundMe to support the public art project. More than, $10,000 has been raised on the platform.
“It’s a community funded piece with some sponsorship for the bees that are being put in,” Prescher said. “So, it’s all funded by the locals of Oxford who have been wanting public art in town for quite a while.”
He said everybody has pitched in with “literally, hundreds of people from the community, coming and painting on this.”
Prescher said he hopes the Hive mural project will inspire more public art in Oxford in the future. He said he’s enjoyed ‘the community and the people” the most.
“It’s wonderful. I’ve been trying to get some public art in this town for a long time, and for some reason, we don’t have much of it, but the community really loves it, and they want it. Everybody just comes in, they love the mural, they start talking, and they paint on it,” he said. “It feels like a huge community effort.”
Additionally, Prescher founded Oxford Visual Arts Connection (www.oxfordvisualartsconnection.com,) which is dedicated to fostering a vibrant community of artists, promoting visual arts education, and showcasing the diverse talents of its members. The organization’s goal is to highlight the arts, and to provide artists with opportunities within the community.
The Journal-News is a media partner of WCPO.com.
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