WAYNESVILLE, Ohio — Art can help a community come together when tragedy strikes.
That is why muralist Erica Arndts, a Centerville High School graduate who has been traveling the world painting murals for the last 10 years, sought someone with a barn for her to paint after the Sept. 10 fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, founder of the political nonprofit Turning Point USA.
“There’s a lot of people feeling sadness around what happened,” she said of the death of Kirk, who was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. “Painting a mural just gives people a shared space to handle their emotions.”
A friend from high school reached out on social media and told her of a barn owned by her boyfriend off Township Line Road near Ohio 73 in the Waynesville area.
The owner, Jeffrey Heil, had never heard of Kirk before the slaying, but agreed Arndts could use the space for a mural.
The design is an American flag in the background with the word freedom and an image of Kirk on the right.
“The whole design evolved on its own,” Arndts said. “Charlie loved this country, he was a true patriotic. You just can’t go wrong with a patriotic flag.”
She spelled out freedom because Kirk was wearing a shirt that read freedom when he was shot.
Not everyone will like every piece of art, but that’s not the point, Arndts said.
“There’s a common thread in humanity, if someone is murdered in public … it’s wrong. That was a pretty shameful act that was done to him," she said.
Heil said as a business owner he tries not to be political, but that in the case of the mural he hopes it wakes people up and gives awareness to the senseless killings.
“I looked at it as freedom and the American flag as a reminder that we need to support it,” he said.
Both Arndts and Heil said the vast majority of feedback has been positive.
There has been a lot of horn honking from motorists passing by, people stopping their cars to take photos, and a vigil on Sunday in honor of Kirk brought out a crowd of at least 250, Heil said.
Long term, after an appropriate mourning period, Heil said the plan is to extend the flag over Kirk’s image.
While Arndts paints a myriad of designs, she has been getting flooded with messages about patriotic or Charlie Kirk murals.
“It’s beyond overwhelming. All over the country I’ve got inquiries: Arizona, New Mexico, two in Ohio, Florida,” she said.
Once she completes booked jobs in Centerville and Tennessee, she said she’ll start scheduling and hopefully be in warmer climates during the winter months. For more information, visit ericaarndts.com.
