That first mural, featuring Fred White and his safety bike, is still on display at Marine Supply & Hardware at Commercial Ave. and Second St. Mitchell, remembering mounting the Fred White mural, said, “We broke a bottle of Miller Hi-Life, that champagne of bottled beer, over the bow of the thing, and it exploded just like a bottle’s supposed to over the bow of a ship.”
Mitchell, Tommy Thompson, and friends will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the project with a birthday party on May 2 at the Depot Arts Center at Sixth St. and R Ave.
Mitchell said he and his friends were looking for a way to help honor Anacortes’ history and revitalize the downtown area. In January of 1984, they formed the ARRC, the Anacortes Renaissance and Revival Confederation, which became the Anacortes Mural Project four months later.
Since that time, Mitchell said, he has used 176 sheets of plywood, and not just any plywood, but 1/4” MDO plywood, which is coated with resin treated fiber which makes it easier to paint on and is safer from the elements.
While you might think the Anacortes Mural Project is a public endeavor, it’s not. Mitchell does it on his own, along with a handful of supporters, and asks businesses to pay a small amount to have a mural on their outside wall. He said the Port of Anacortes has become his biggest supporter. And, he has had some support from the Anacortes Arts Festival in the past.
Mitchell is a familiar face around town in his three-wheel, electric, Autoette. Which is, in itself, a bit of history as production ended in the 1970s.
Photos by Art Shotwell & Steve Berentson, who had a photo blog at AnacortesToday.