Birds art installation brings color to endangered W.Va. historic district

BECKLEY, W.Va. — A flock of oversized birds has descended on this West Virginia city at the edge of one of America’s newest national parks, attracted by one of the region’s growing arts initiatives.

Six large, colorful birds now perch on buildings in and near downtown Beckley, adding color and interest where urban decay had become a problem.

City crews installed a bird on a historic building where paint was improperly applied.

Saja Montague, president of the Beckley arts exhibition organization “BEX,” supervised the installations created by artist Nicholas Tankersley and a team of volunteers.

“We enjoy the idea of public art being a tool to infuse pops of color and interest in surprising places,” Montague said.

“We love the feeling of driving through our hometown and seeing art on display everywhere.”

Downtown Beckley has attracted negative attention statewide over the last decade due to the city government’s disregard for urban planning law, but a new generation hopes to reverse that.

The city is located five miles from the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, which was established in 2020 and has increased the viability of a region in economic decline.

Montague said the “Beckley Birds” project began in 2023 when BEX partnered with Tankersley to create something unique.

“Inspired by the idea of native birds perched around town, Nicholas conceptualized six unique bird designs and sketched them out on plywood panels,” she said.

“These designs took flight at our 2023 “Unfair,” where over 45 community members joined the fun, lending their creativity during a public paint party to bring these birds to life.”

“In collaboration with The City of Beckley, we’ve selected five unique locations for the birds to perch, with a special Bluejay installation atop The Register-Herald building.”

Montague said the installations, designed to last a decade, are good representations of the artistic energy growing in the city of some 17,000 residents.

“We are passionate about creating unique art experiences that showcase the immense pool of talent in our hometown,” she said.

For more information on BEX and its initiatives, follow BEXWV.com or its Facebook page.

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