The historic Schofield Building in downtown Vancouver will get a face-lift, but the property owners want to put a little lipstick on it in the meantime.
To enter the Schofield Building mural contest, send a sketch on a letter-size piece of paper to Ed Aschieris at 1811 Main St., Suite 202, Vancouver, WA 98660 by Dec. 10. For more information, call 360-448-0469.
The Schofields are renovating two buildings — one built in 1867 and the other in 1905 — that cover three-quarters of the block at Sixth and Main streets. During the work, six large windows will be boarded up. Instead of bare plywood, property manager Ed Aschieris envisions works of art.
His great-great-grandparents constructed the original building, and he’s leading the project to restore it with an eye for historical accuracy.
He is inviting artists to submit sketches for murals of historic Vancouver that would cover the windows during renovation. Aschieris sees it as a way to highlight the historical significance of the building and downtown Vancouver, while giving local artists a boost.
Schofield Properties will select six drawings, which the artists will then paint onto the plywood. Once the artwork is installed, the community will be invited to vote for a favorite. The artist whose work wins the most votes will receive $500. Second place carries a $250 award, and third, $125.
When the artwork is removed after new windows are installed, the plywood will be used for construction inside the building. Although the artwork will be covered over, it will serve as a time capsule of sorts for future renovators to discover, Aschieris said.
Aschieris initially approached the Clark County Mural Society to seek proposals, but only received three. So he’s calling for more submissions. He’ll accept sketches from artists for the next month or so. He hopes to have artwork up in January.
