Maurice's Mockingbird Mural Project
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The project:
This mural in Roanoke's Wasena neighborhood, will occupy a highly-visible wall on an existing commercial building. The Maurice's Mockingbird Mural Project commissions local artists to paint or construct works of public art that recognize and honor the poets and poetry of the Roanoke Virginia area. We want to fill the whole Roanoke Valley with poetry, from the banks of the river to the top of the mountain. We want poems in pockets, poems on the walls, and poetry in the hearts of the people.
The poet:
A little bit about Maurice :
Maurice Ferguson lives in Buchanan with his wife Lynn, and a menagerie of strays who found their way to his back door. In addition to being a poet, he is the literary editor of Artemis Journal. He has published in Roanoke Review, Piedmont Literary Review, Inlet, Metamorphoses and Artemis Journal. He has written poetry reviews for Foreword Magazine. He sponsored a poetry contest for the VA Dept of Corrections and co-edited an anthology of prison poetry with Janet Lembke entitled "Context Crumble." He took first prize in a contest sponsored by Botetourt Library for "Zen Poem: : For Cham." He attends a poetry group that meets at Hollins University twice a month. He is an honorably discharged veteran from the Vietnam era. He volunteers two hours a week at the Fincastle Jail. He is an avid shell collector who is particularly fond of his shells from the South Pacific. He once conducted shell collecting seminars for the elderly through the League of Older Americans. He graduated from Roanoke College in 1977 and retired from social work with Blue Ridge Behavioral Health after twenty- seven years of employment. [His work included caring for the homeless and those struggling with substance addiction and recovery ]. He has volunteered at the V.A. Hospital and at numerous jails in the past. He and his wife raised their son Chambliss on love, empathy, forgiveness and compassion.
The poetry community in the Roanoke area generates not only craft and character but stands as a force for healing and strength. From this generator flow the international acclaim of Poets Laureate, and prize-winners, the personal growth of students, and the unheard healing and delight of untold readers. It is time to recognize this community and the work it is doing to make our area a better, more beautiful place.
So, we begin with a man with poetry not just in his heart, but someone whose life is infused with poetry. No one person in our area has stood with more others at the intersection of life and poetry (two roads that meet at odd angles) than Maurice Ferguson. So, we named the project for him, that and the fact that “Maurice’s Mockingbird” is a pretty cool name.
The place:
The historic Wasena was one of Roanoke's early suburbs, and has maintained virtually the same character as when it was developed in the 1920s. Since its inception the neighborhood has been one of the most stable communities in the City. Wasena is located southwest of downtown and is bounded by the Roanoke River to the north and east, Greater Raleigh Court to the west, and Brandon Avenue to the south.
The artist:
Artist Toobz Muir is known best for his murals, surreal paintings and detailed graphite drawings. His colorful work references his early fascination with graffiti and street art as well as his challenges from being color blind. Primarily using spray paint, Noel freehand renders his work directly onto surfaces creating fantastical imagery that in his words is “both edgy and playful while also emerging from a personal place.” His subject matter ranges from allegorical to darkly satirical themes while distorting his figures’ features to evoke extreme emotional states. Noel is currently located in Roanoke, Virginia. His work has been in several exhibitions including at Fleda A. Ring Artworks in Roanoke, Virginia; Art Rhino in Washington, D.C.; and Glitch Gallery in Richmond, Virginia. You can find his public murals at locations around the Roanoke Valley including at the Taubman Museum of Art, the Wasena Tap House and on the side of the Greenway Self Storage warehouse in Wasena. An interview with Toobz can be found there Toobz interview in RVA Magazine l
This mural in Roanoke's Wasena neighborhood, will occupy a highly-visible wall on an existing commercial building. The Maurice's Mockingbird Mural Project commissions local artists to paint or construct works of public art that recognize and honor the poets and poetry of the Roanoke Virginia area. We want to fill the whole Roanoke Valley with poetry, from the banks of the river to the top of the mountain. We want poems in pockets, poems on the walls, and poetry in the hearts of the people.
The poet:
A little bit about Maurice :
Maurice Ferguson lives in Buchanan with his wife Lynn, and a menagerie of strays who found their way to his back door. In addition to being a poet, he is the literary editor of Artemis Journal. He has published in Roanoke Review, Piedmont Literary Review, Inlet, Metamorphoses and Artemis Journal. He has written poetry reviews for Foreword Magazine. He sponsored a poetry contest for the VA Dept of Corrections and co-edited an anthology of prison poetry with Janet Lembke entitled "Context Crumble." He took first prize in a contest sponsored by Botetourt Library for "Zen Poem: : For Cham." He attends a poetry group that meets at Hollins University twice a month. He is an honorably discharged veteran from the Vietnam era. He volunteers two hours a week at the Fincastle Jail. He is an avid shell collector who is particularly fond of his shells from the South Pacific. He once conducted shell collecting seminars for the elderly through the League of Older Americans. He graduated from Roanoke College in 1977 and retired from social work with Blue Ridge Behavioral Health after twenty- seven years of employment. [His work included caring for the homeless and those struggling with substance addiction and recovery ]. He has volunteered at the V.A. Hospital and at numerous jails in the past. He and his wife raised their son Chambliss on love, empathy, forgiveness and compassion.
The poetry community in the Roanoke area generates not only craft and character but stands as a force for healing and strength. From this generator flow the international acclaim of Poets Laureate, and prize-winners, the personal growth of students, and the unheard healing and delight of untold readers. It is time to recognize this community and the work it is doing to make our area a better, more beautiful place.
So, we begin with a man with poetry not just in his heart, but someone whose life is infused with poetry. No one person in our area has stood with more others at the intersection of life and poetry (two roads that meet at odd angles) than Maurice Ferguson. So, we named the project for him, that and the fact that “Maurice’s Mockingbird” is a pretty cool name.
The place:
The historic Wasena was one of Roanoke's early suburbs, and has maintained virtually the same character as when it was developed in the 1920s. Since its inception the neighborhood has been one of the most stable communities in the City. Wasena is located southwest of downtown and is bounded by the Roanoke River to the north and east, Greater Raleigh Court to the west, and Brandon Avenue to the south.
The artist:
Artist Toobz Muir is known best for his murals, surreal paintings and detailed graphite drawings. His colorful work references his early fascination with graffiti and street art as well as his challenges from being color blind. Primarily using spray paint, Noel freehand renders his work directly onto surfaces creating fantastical imagery that in his words is “both edgy and playful while also emerging from a personal place.” His subject matter ranges from allegorical to darkly satirical themes while distorting his figures’ features to evoke extreme emotional states. Noel is currently located in Roanoke, Virginia. His work has been in several exhibitions including at Fleda A. Ring Artworks in Roanoke, Virginia; Art Rhino in Washington, D.C.; and Glitch Gallery in Richmond, Virginia. You can find his public murals at locations around the Roanoke Valley including at the Taubman Museum of Art, the Wasena Tap House and on the side of the Greenway Self Storage warehouse in Wasena. An interview with Toobz can be found there Toobz interview in RVA Magazine l
Organizer
Dave Wiseman
Organizer
Roanoke, VA
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