It’s a great time for public art in Ardmore. Starting this weekend the scarecrows will be returning to Main Street for the annual Scarecrow Contest, and Create Ardmore will be hosting the Scarecrow Stroll on Tuesday, Oct. 1 from 5 to 7 p.m.
To top all of that off, Create Ardmore will have a special guest at their booth during the event. Local photographer Paige Miller will be on hand to sign copies of her two books that document public art in the city: “Something to Crow About” which features all of the scarecrows entered into the contest during its first five years, and the second edition of “Artmore: The Public Art of Ardmore, Oklahoma.”
The new edition came out earlier this week and includes 35 new pages of artwork completed in the four years since the first edition was printed.
“The first edition was incredibly popular, and people really seemed to like it,” Miller said. “We ended up selling out of our first run of 150 books in about two months. Then we got in another 100 copies, and those all sold out too. Knowing there was already new art popping up all over town, I decided to focus on creating a second edition.”
By doing a second edition, all the new art could be included along with everything from the first. With this approach, the book remains a comprehensive collection of all the public art in the city.
She said she found inspiration for the cover of the new edition almost as soon as the first was published.
“Basically, the instant that we published the last book, I found the street art that is the cover of the new book,” Miller said. “It literally said ‘Artmore’, so I knew it was meant to be. I was absolutely inspired, and for the past few years, I’ve had that in mind.”
Some of her favorite artwork in the new edition includes the mural on the Mount Olympus tattoo parlor, the planter project inside the parking lot on Main Street, the HFV Wilson Mural, and the Picture our Future installation that was in place for several months before being taken down.
“The Picture our Future project was always meant to be temporary, and I think it was such an impactful project because it got your attention and made you want to know more,” Miller said. “We also have at least 10 or 15 new fire hydrants, new sculptures and new buffalos that have been painted.”
“Artmore: The Public Art of Ardmore” is currently available for $35 (cash or check) at Maria’s Garden, Ardmore Main Street Authority, the 7 on Broadway, Marvin’s Place Art Gallery and the Ardmore Chamber of Commerce. Miller will also be selling copies of both her books during the Scarecrow Stroll. In addition to cash and check, Venmo will also be accepted during the stroll. All proceeds will go to Create Ardmore.
Miller said she’s looking forward to chatting with the public during the event.
“We wanted to have a book signing after the first edition, but that was during Covid, so it never really worked out,” she said. “We thought having the signing during the Scarecrow Stroll would be perfect because so many people will already be out and about downtown.”
Miller said she’s happy to answer questions and she encourages anyone who has art featured to come up and introduce themselves.
“I would really love to talk to the artists, so if you’ve got a business with a mural or you’ve painted a fire hydrant come up and say hello,” she said.
