The City of Lynchburg Office of Economic Development & Tourism, with local artist Elizabeth Gray, has installed a new mural at the Kemper Street Amtrak Station.
The mural, “LYH Loves You,” is located at an existing retaining wall adjacent to the railway station and will now showcase a welcoming message for Amtrak passengers, visitors and residents to enjoy while traveling to and from Lynchburg.
“Public art and beautification efforts help attract new visitors to the City of Lynchburg,” Marjette Upshur, director of Economic Development & Tourism, said. “Every day the LYH Amtrak station transports hundreds of visitors, business travelers, college students, and residents — which makes a huge impact on our restaurants, retail, attractions and lodging partners.”
The mural is located down the stairs at the lower-level drop-off parking lot, right by the train tracks.
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The project was funded in partnership with the Virginia Tourism Corporation and serves to increase beautification, public art and marketing efforts for the City of Lynchburg. After a public call for artists, Gray’s design was selected for the installation.
Gray is a lettering artist, illustrator, author and muralist. She said she is typically recognized for her modern design work.
The Lynchburg Office of Economic Development & Tourism reached out to her in 2022 about the potential for a mural project for a different wall.
“That wall didn’t end up being available and the project changed as time went on into the Amtrak Station mural,” Gray said.
The office put out a call for local artists in the spring to submit a design and Gray ended up finishing hers in the car on the way home from seeing Taylor Swift in Atlanta.
“I definitely shrieked for joy and danced around my office when I got the email mid-June telling me I’d gotten the project, and once the project was funded in mid-September we got right to work,” she said.
With the goal of this project being to welcome visitors coming into Lynchburg via the train, Gray said she strove to create a legible, eye-catching and friendly design to help newcomers understand the city at a glance.
Gray has painted a few murals in town already, some in homes and the others on the side of 409 5th St. where Threaded and Mosaic Collective used to be and in Batter Bar, and said she enjoys the process of not only helping someone else bring their vision to life, but being able to see her work in such a large scale.
“It’s so different than just drawing something on a piece of paper, and each project comes with its own new set of problems to solve, but that’s part of why I love freelancing — I love the challenge,” she said.
Although the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority was not involved in the mural project, passengers will still get to reap the benefits, Haley Glynn, passenger rail marketing manager for the organization, said.
“We manage and fund the Amtrak service in Virginia and are so excited about the mural project. What a warm welcome to Lynchburg,” she said.
According to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, between July 2022 and June 2023, more than 60,000 people boarded or got off the train at Kemper Street Station.
Katrina Romero, media relations manager for Virginia Rail Authority, said recent ridership numbers have been great.
“Ridership on our Amtrak Virginia continues to increase,” she said. “In September 2023, 122,814 passengers traveled. That’s up 16.2% over last September and is the highest ridership ever in September since Amtrak Virginia launched in 2009. The Roanoke service saw 31,180 passengers in September, which was a 10% increase over September of 2022, so a lot of people are passing through Lynchburg.”
In 2022, the tourism sector supported more than 3,700 jobs in Lynchburg and $25 million in state and local tax revenues and $375.9 million in visitor spending, according to Virginia Tourism Corporation Direct Impact of Visitor Spending Report.
Gray said it means the world to her to be able to work with local business owners and now, the city, to help communicate their vision and get more eyes on their incredible spaces.
“Driving around my town and seeing my work here and there on a massive scale is so incredibly fulfilling, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to add more color and vibrancy and joy to this city,” she said. “I hope that this mural accomplishes its mission to welcome visitors to Lynchburg and encourages them to come back and explore a few of the things that make it such a great place to live, work or visit.”
Rachael Smith, (434) 385-5482