Craig Howell LENDING A HANDPRINT – Artist Kyle Holbrook applies paint to the hand of a pupil from A.T. Allison Elementary School Friday as youth from the school took turns contributing a handprint to the underpainting layer of a mural being developed in Chester.

CHESTER – A new mural underway in Chester will involve members of the community while paying tribute to its past.

The Montani Outreach Movement was formed as a nonprofit organization in 2023 by area residents Cara McMahan, Lacey Cline, Megan Eckleberry, Brittany Budney and Payden Wells, with a goal of enhancing Hancock County through community revitalization projects.

The group’s first official effort began to take shape Friday as Chester residents joined MOM members and international artist Kyle Holbrook in creating a mural depicting scenery from Rock Springs Park underneath the Jennings Randolph Bridge.

“We’ve been working with him for months,” said Cline, who explained the group has been meeting with residents who have memories of Rock Springs Park to help develop the mural’s design.

The planned artwork will include the park’s carousel, the Virginia Gardens dance hall, roller coasters, an illuminated midway and other historic attractions from the park, which operated in Chester from 1897 to 1970 on land now occupied by the bridge and surrounding businesses.

Craig Howell FOUNDATIONAL LAYER – Area families, businesses, and more contributed messages, drawings and other elements to the underpainting layer of the new Rock Springs Park mural set to be painted under the Jennings Randolph Bridge in Chester. The mural project is being organized by local non-profit The Montani Outreach Movement with artist Kyle Holbrook.

Initial funding for the mural was provided through the Hancock County Savings Bank Community Foundation and local fundraisers.

Holbrook, who was born in the Pittsburgh area, is known for murals in Pittsburgh, with his work also appearing in Miami, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, London and Tokyo. He has contributed art to the MLB All-Star Game, the U.S. Open, the G20 Summit and the Paris Olympics.

Locally, Holbrook restored the Tuskegee Airmen mural in Steubenville and also painted a mural in the city reflecting the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Friday, area residents were invited to take part in the underpainting in preparation for the Rock Springs Park mural.

Underpainting is the establishment of a foundational layer for a mural, where base colors, shapes and other elements are painted to serve as a “skeleton” for the final work.

“It makes it conducive to contribution,” Holbrook said of the technique, which he has used in many of his other works. “It enables everyone to see their part.”

Holbrook said while the final mural will show a completed image for viewers at a distance, aspects of the underpainting will still be visible up close.

“It’s my favorite part,” he said, noting it is an element of art that cannot be reproduced, making each work unique.

Those who contribute will be able to visit the mural years from now and still see their part of the artwork, he said.

Part of the underpainting Friday involved students from A.T. Allison Elementary visiting the site and leaving their own mark.

“The kids are going to leave their handprints,” Cline said.

Representatives of local businesses also joined in Friday morning, with messages from Hancock County Savings Bank, Sacred Heart Church, Chaney’s Gas Station and Juszczak Development among those on display. The exercise was opened to the rest of the community Friday night, with food trucks, music and other activities planned.