Bentonville to keep mural after artist compromise
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The mural in question. Photo: Alex Golden/Axios
Bentonville is rethinking its public art policies as it requires an artist to change her mural after months of controversy, according to The Bentonville Bulletin.
Catch up quick: The mural was completed in October 2024 in a tunnel underneath Northwest Third Street by Bella Vista artist Paige Dirksen in collaboration with nonprofit organization All Bikes Welcome and more than 80 community members, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. The nonprofit's goals are to provide free and low-cost cycling programming while addressing inclusivity and intersectionality, according to its website.
- The city in December said the final product differed from what was approved and needed to be corrected, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Dirksen later said the changes didn't alter the content or intent of the original proposal.
- The city received complaints from residents claiming that the mural included a depiction of the transgender flag and advertising for All Bikes Welcome, The Bentonville Bulletin reported.
- In June, the City Council voted 7-1 to keep the mural but remove Instagram handles for Dirksen and All Bikes Welcome.
- The mural again came to the City Council on Aug. 12 but was tabled until this week's meeting after hours of discussion.
Context: The mural includes a couple of sections with blue and pink horizontal stripes. The transgender flag features pastel pink and blue horizontal stripes with a white stripe in the middle.
State of play: In a 4-4 vote with Mayor Stephanie Orman breaking the tie, the council decided Tuesday to accept a compromise from Dirksen to keep the mural but change "all bike(r)s welcome" to "all bikers welcome" and remove an icon with a wheel inside a flower, both of which some perceive to reference All Bikes Welcome, The Bentonville Bulletin reported.
- City Council members Octavio Sanchez, Cindy Acree, Holly Hook and Beckie Seba voted to remove the mural and reject the compromise, while Aubrey Patterson, Chris Sooter, Bill Burckart and Gayatri Agnew voted against removal and in favor of the compromise.
What they're saying: All Bikes Welcome expressed gratitude to the City Council for allowing the mural to stay and said in a statement that keeping the mural "affirms that public space can and should reflect values of equity, inclusion, and the celebration of diversity."
- "By allowing misinformation about All Bikes Welcome to go unchallenged in public forums, Bentonville City Council legitimized false claims about who we are and what we stand for," the statement continued. "Even more troubling, the public debate often targeted marginalized people — especially transgender folks — by questioning their very humanity and right to exist. This has caused real pain in our community, and we believe city leaders must take responsibility for the consequences of such discourse."
What's next: The City Council voted unanimously to suspend a rule governing the public art complaint process while the city overhauls its policies, according to The Bentonville Bulletin.