Artista Vista celebrates old Columbia by unveiling new installation

The Congaree Vista showcased a new art installation at 1125 Park St. in honor of the late Columbia artist Laura Spong.

The artwork is a two-part mural commemorating the old and new Congaree Vista area of downtown. One part depicts a map of the old train tracks that once inhabited what is now the arts and culture center of the city. The other mural portrays Laura Spong and supposedly Wesley Daniels, a 1921 train conductor. The artwork compares the legacy of the Vista from its start as a train stop to present day as an artistic district. 

The piece was commissioned by the Congaree Vista Guild and unveiled Friday to kick off its 33rd annual Artista Vista festival.

“Every year we put a certain amount of money in our budget for a public art piece, so typically, we want to install a new public art piece” each year, said Vista Guild executive director Abby Anderson.  

Spong for years had a studio at Vista Studios on Lady Street in the Vista. Anderson said the choice to paint Spong in her older years was intentional, as most of her success came in the last few decades of her life. 

“That’s the (image) that people really knew and could understand,” Anderson said.

A committee selected David Falter of Cincinnati, who was assisted by his wife Bethany, on the project.

For Columbia City Councilman Tyler Bailey, collaborating on the project wasn’t difficult.

“Artists deal with the government,” said Bailey, who spoke at the event. “Some people thought there was going to be some, I guess, friction there, but it’s really a seamless process. I was talking about the artist, David. He said it’s one of the most easy processes he’s had in putting public art up to deal with the government.”

The project was completed by using layers of cement, painting it white, tracing the outlines of busts of Spong and Daniels and chiseling. The train track map was more demanding, as the lines required exact measurements. The Falters estimate it took between 70 and 100 hours to complete. 

“It was a lot of fun, but measuring those angles, it was more of a time crunch that was stressful,” Bethany Falter said.

Bethany Falter recalls feeling a strong connection to Spong and Daniels as she was completing the art. She shared an “Easter egg” she and David Falter left behind: One of the small marks near Spong’s face is in the shape of a heart. 

“I just was feeling the emotions, just connecting to like, wow, the history of what they’ve done, how one person can affect that ripple effect in a community,” Falter said. “Just that love and getting to read her story and who she was, her determination.”

David said he had similar thoughts when researching the Spong’s and Daniels’ stories.

“I think that’s what I felt with her, the emotion,” Falter said, “Now, as far as the train conductor goes, I know there’s not very much information on this guy, but I know he was one of the very typical people in the city.”

The public art unveiling was received by a small crowd with their own memories of Spong. Two of her sons, Trey and Kershaw, or Kerk, were in attendance. 

“Her biggest success came probably after she was 70,” Trey Spong said. “Would remind people it’s not too late to do anything. She was a perfect example.”