Oroville art commission recommends city council approve Black Bart mural restoration and repurposing

The Oroville Art Commission reviewed a proposal from artist Jack Townsend to repurpose and restore the “Black Bart” mural on the building at the corner of Bird and Huntoon and voted to recommend city council approval and authorize staff to prepare a grant agreement.

Townsend said he worked with the building owner, Bud Tracy, and community members including Daniel to preserve historical facts portrayed in the mural while improving its condition. The proposed approach would replace deteriorated paint, make the horses and figures more realistic rather than cartoonish, and preserve or reframe textual details that reference a historic stagecoach robbery. Commissioners and the artist discussed adding a QR code or a plaque to explain the local history; the mural currently references Wells Fargo and the actual names associated with the stagecoach robbery, and Townsend said he intends to retain historically relevant text but present it in a less aggressive visual tone.

Commissioners were shown design sketches and were told the beautification work is estimated at about $15,000. A commissioner asked whether an aggressive depiction of an armed robber would remain; Townsend said he planned to portray a more peaceful, majestic portrait and to add contextual material such as poetry or historical details.

A motion to recommend that city council approve the revised mural plan on grounds of artistic merit, public benefit and alignment with the Art in Public Places goals, and to authorize staff to prepare a grant agreement was made and seconded; the motion passed. The artist agreed to submit an updated proposal by the 23rd if possible and by the 25th at the latest.

The commission’s approval directs staff to draft a grant agreement and forward the recommended project to city council for final action.