Elk City Mural

Like many of the works in this area, Elk City Mural is a community collaboration. Created in 2015 by Josh Martin, an art professor at West Virginia State University, the paint on concrete piece was enhanced by contributions from West Side locals. West Side Main Street commissioned the work as a source of pride for residents. Martin painted geometricized hills and the outline of an elk, which is defined via negative space. Community members painted small additions throughout the hills of the work. These range from cartoon figures, to flags, to objects important to their painters. The mural wraps around the building and the side that faces Tennessee Avenue features the words "Elk City." West Side has slowly grown into the Elk City moniker over the years due to its proximity to the Elk River. Martin envisioned the mural as one that combines the natural prehistory roots of the area with the current expansion and revitalization of its human culture.