Deadline Set to Complete Mansfield Mural Project

The mural on the Route 106 overpass will be completed this summer, by almost any means necessary.

Town Manager Bill Ross, along with mural committee members Nancy Wall and Scott Brigante told the selectmen Wednesday night that the artist for the project, Ian Gaudreau, has until June 30 to complete the painting. If he is unable to or does not agree to this amendment to his contract, he will forfeit the remaining $12,000 on his contract and a new artist will be hired to complete the work.

“We’re determined to finish this with or without the artist we originally hired,” Brigante said.

Aside from a small payment, no more money will be given to Brigante until the work is complete. The committee has $19,000 in a gift account, $12,000 to pay Gaudreau and an additional $7,000 in case a new artist has to be hired.

About 85 percent of the work is done, with 15-16 items that need to be done to finish the project. The remaining work is estimated to take 3-4 weeks to complete. A warm spring could give the artist more time to finish the painting project.

Part of the reason for the delay, according to Ross, is the artist’s tendency to return to completed aspects of the mural and try to improve them.

“The artist is very creative. He’s looked at some sections and thought he could do it differently. The old phrase is work and progress and this tends to be that,” Ross said.

Permission to paint on the wall was approved at the 2012 Annual Town Meeting. Originally, it was expected that the project would be completed by 2014.

“The committee’s sentiment is we negotiated with the artist and we hope he finishes it but we have an obligation to the town who we told we would finish in two years. When it wasn’t we felt we had to do what we could to make sure the project is finished in a timely manner,” Brigante said.