A years-long effort to preserve one of Nebraska’s best-known public artworks reaches a major milestone this week. The final tiles of the restored Pershing Mural will be installed Thursday morning during a public ceremony next to the pond at Wyuka Park at 36th and ‘O’ Street
The Pershing Mural Historic Preservation Committee launched the restoration project in 2021 with the goal of preserving the landmark for another century. Organizers say the project was funded entirely through grassroots donations, with all money raised dedicated to the mural’s restoration, reinstallation and a maintenance endowment.
Project Chair Liz Shea-McCoy tells KLIN News the effort is about more than restoring a work of art. She says the mural will serve as a place where Nebraskans can gather, reflect and connect with the state’s history.
The mural consists of 763,000, one inch by one inch titles. With the mural installation complete, organizers are turning their attention to the final phase of the project, creating a landscaped public garden and gathering space in front of the mural.
Plans call for native plantings and community spaces designed with help from University of Nebraska-Lincoln landscape architecture students and professional designers. The committee is seeking an additional $360,000 to complete the landscaping and public space. Tax-deductible donations are being accepted through the Liz Shea-McCoy Foundation for the Arts.
