Young Artists Give New Life to Strawberry Street Mermaid
Meadow Noonan, Kristin Lewis, and Julia Bridgforth paint new design on Cape Charles’ only mermaid. (Wave photos by Sarah Golibart)
By SARAH GOLIBART
Cape Charles Wave
July 26, 2013
The world’s fascination with beautiful fish-tailed women has not escaped Cape Charles, where the Town’s very own mermaid happily resides on the revitalized storefront area of Strawberry Street with a fresh coat of paint.
Clelia Sheppard of Arts Enter commissioned local student Meadow Noonan to decorate the mermaid with a design inspired by “growing the arts.”
With the help of friends Kristin Lewis and Julia Bridgforth, the mermaid was painted with a black background blooming with colorful flowers and beautiful butterflies.
Originally the mermaid was part of a fleet of 130 that were commissioned by Norfolk attorney Peter Decker well over a decade ago. The mermaids have become a symbol for Norfolk, where various organizations purchased them in the “Mermaids on Parade” auctions.
Many artists were asked to decorate the mermaids, including Clelia Sheppard.
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According to the City of Norfolk website, the mermaids were adopted “first as a celebration of how far [Norfolk], as a city, [has] come in the past four decades and then, as a way to celebrate and support our very talented and deserving regional arts community.”
Since Arts Enter is the focus of the arts community in Cape Charles, the mermaid’s placement in front of the building is perfect.
Sheppard was chosen to design four of the Norfolk mermaids. The one we see in Cape Charles originally graced a fountain in front of the Bank of America in Norfolk. Blue Heron Reality was fortunate enough to win her in an auction a few years back, and soon after Sheppard brought her to Arts Enter to celebrate the arts, as the original design intended.
Painting the mermaid was the first public art for local girls Meadow, Kristin, and Julia. “We tried to best capture the idea of ‘growing the arts’ that Clelia wanted,” explained Meadow. After the death of Clelia’s close friend and fellow Arts Enter founder Don Clark, Sheppard felt “too emotional” to do anything with the mermaid that she and Clark had restored together.
But after seeing the girls’ work, Sheppard pronounced that they had given the mermaid “new life.”
The finished fish in all her glory.
How wonderful to see your reporting about the contribution of our young folks in beautifying our Town! It’s kinda rough on these mermaids of the sea when they are left out in the cold, cruel world and I am grateful to Meadow, Kristin and Julia for their efforts. For all you mermaid fans out there, visit Blue Heron Realty at 113 Mason Ave. to see the two that we have on display. Sorry, but our two cannot be displayed out in the weather!
This looks so pretty and truly does capture the beauty of both the arts and our town! Meadow, Kristin and Julia have done a remarkable job painting this and bringing it back to life!
Great Job, Meadow, Kristin, and Julia! It’s beautiful!
Let me calculate here: Kristin, Meadow, & Julia = 3 + 1 Mermaid = 4 + Sara Golibart = 5 beautiful Northampton girls! Ya gotta love ‘em!
Meadow, Kristin, Julia — stop by the Stage Door Gallery tomorrow (Sunday), to pick up a free Mermaid Sea Glass Bookmark I made especially for you. I will be working there tomorrow from 11–5.
I think it is worth noting that the mermaid was donated to Arts Enter by Blue Heron Realty.
I too am a artist (hobby) who was born, grew up, went to the public school system in the “Colored” school over the “Hump” and graduated from Northampton County High School, holding the position as president of the Art Club. Through my art teachers, I had the opportunity to participate in several art exhibits and do art work for the teachers and clubs at NCHS and Godwin’s Funeral Home. A while back I visited back home and began shooting a video on my “roots,” which I have yet to complete, along with a video as a victim/savior of Hurricane Katrina. Upon completion of these two projects I hope to put scenes on canvas. To the artists of Cape Charles, I challenge you to go into the neighborhoods, the beach areas which once were classified for whites only and blacks only. Go out to the farm areas, look where the migrants and the black families lived and worked (if those places still exist). Put those scenes on canvas — oh yes, get black artists involved; there are some there.