Mural accidently washed away, art community looks for silver lining

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – A mural in Lexington, paying tribute to the city’s horseracing heritage, was washed away by accident. But some people in the art community say there is a silvery lining to the mistake.

The mural was of two horses and their jockeys. It was painted on the side of a building at the intersection of Bryan Avenue and North Limestone but now all that is left of the mural is the horses’ hooves.

Griffin VanMeter, a tenant in the building with the mural, says he’s to blame. He had hired a crew to pressure wash and prime the rest of the building to add more art. The mural was accidentally cleaned off too.

“By the time I found out about it, it was too late,” said VanMeter.

Two years ago VanMeter worked with PRHBTN, a group that works to bring street art to Lexington, to commission the mural. The artist, Odeith, was brought over from Portugal for the project.

“It was really important to us and through what we’ve seen through the community, it seemed to be important to a lot of other people too,” said John Winters, co-founder of PRHBTN.

Support for the mural pour across social media about the missing mural, a symbol of the pride and passion people have for street art.

“I would never celebrate the loss of artwork but to look for a silver lining is definitely important and I think that it has definitely show the community really supports and cares for these pieces of art,” said Winters.

“It the worst thing that is happening, is that people really care about art, that’s a really good thing for our city,” said VanMeter.

VanMeter and Winters are talking with Odeith and planning to bring him back to Lexington to paint a new mural.