Cheyenne Renee Marcus has traveled north, south, east and west across the U.S., bestowing vibrant murals on buildings and billboards as she goes. From Twin Falls, Idaho, to Lee, Mass., the 24-year-old is leaving a mark: Her bright color palette and expressive brushstrokes showcase the small towns that inspire her work. Marcus' eventual goal? "50 in 50," a mural in each U.S. state by the end of 2025. For her 13th work, Marcus found her place in Morristown, Vt.
The 24-by-8-foot mural will be installed in late August on the exterior of Manufacturing Solutions' warehouse, next to the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. After a Morrisville resident proposed the town on Marcus' website, the artist connected with River Arts, a local nonprofit that enriches the community through programs ranging from exhibitions to classes to summer camps. River Arts saw an opportunity to combine public art and education, inviting Marcus to spend her week in Vermont not just as a muralist but also as a camp counselor.
From August 4 through 11, Marcus taught mural making to a group of young Lamoille County residents. The campers helped her paint the mural on six aluminum panels, which will soon be visible from the rail trail.
"I want the kids at the end to be able to point out ... 'I did those brushstrokes!'" Marcus said.
Her work is centered on community; raised in the small town of Covington, Va., Marcus recognizes the roots that develop in tiny, tight-knit places. She began painting at age 13 with encouragement from her grandmother and by her late teens was selling her art on the farmers market circuit, where she saw for herself the ties that hold small towns together. The mural project is an opportunity for Marcus to mesh her appreciation of rural America with her artistry. She is also filming a documentary of her journey, which she said will "highlight the community members" at each stop.
Working with local kids strengthens the place-based aspect of her painting, as their ideas and talents make it into the mural. Through the project, the campers learned to work on a large scale, got their hands dirty and gave Marcus their input as Vermonters.
"It will be cool to see everything put together with our creative touches," said camper Olive Mahnke, 14, whose parents own Minemå gallery in Johnson.
Elias Burke, 12, was excited to brag to his friends about the finished product, which depicts the historic railway that once connected small towns across the Northeast. "That's why these towns are here, because of the railway system," River Arts executive director Stephanie Drews-Sheldon said, "so I love that the mural harkened back to that."
The railroad winds through Green Mountain scenery that Marcus said she simply couldn't leave out of the tribute to rural Vermont. Per the campers' insights, the mural includes some red clover, the Vermont state flower.
Marcus has worked with a variety of groups across the country to get her murals up, from arts organizations to chambers of commerce. In Morrisville, the community has gathered behind her work. In addition to River Arts' help producing the mural and Manufacturing Solutions' donation of a site, the project was supported by town funding, the Morrisville Alliance for Culture and Commerce, and the Country Home Center, a small business that supplied painting tools.
"It's like a stone soup," Drews-Sheldon said.
Marcus' mural shows a deep gratitude for small towns and what their communities can accomplish. Of the Vermonters who have supported her, she said, "their encouragement and excitement makes me feel like I'm in the right place.