Viva Cuba, a community beautification group, in Cuba, MO commissioned its first mural in 2001. It was by the Canadian artist Michelle Loughery. A local artist Shelly Smith Steiger assisted Loughery, thus learning the art of painting outdoor murals. As a result of that first mural, Viva Cuba adopted the goal of having 12 outdoor murals by 2007, Cuba’s sesquicentennial. The results have been far reaching in the social, economic, and educational aspects of the community.
Jill Barnett