Artist: Douglas C. Orr
Hands and History (outdoor)
Location: 120 West Heron Street
Photographs of historic Aberdeen from the Jones Photo Collection. Pictures left to right include: Aberdeen Train Depot, which was located just south of the mural; Aberdeen Harbor, circa 1900; The Aberdeen Daily World (predecessor of The Daily World) delivery truck and newsboys, circa 1926; Aberdeen Theater, 1931, and the Goldberg/Boeing “Easy Pay” World War II airplane. Included on the mural is a map showing the locations of these sites.
Artist’s statement:
The Hands and History mural was my first mural in Aberdeen, as well as my first large-scale mural to design and paint. The commission required that I paint historic images of Aberdeen in its heyday. The idea of just recreating some old pictures didn't appeal to me. Rather, I wanted to paint a mural which would inspire younger folks driving passed it to want to stop and take a picture of it. I added my hands and added ridges to the edges to the Jones Photos I used as references, to make it seem as though someone was going through an old box of photos that they found in an attic. The hands added color to the bland black-and-white pictures. I believe that our murals need to be interesting to our young folks and that all of the murals should not only speak to our past, but also should inspire and give hope for our future as well.
Other murals by this artist:
A Walk in the Park (outdoor)
Bubbles (outdoor)