This Beautiful Piece of Public Art Showcases the Importance of The Batten Kill to Manchester
The public “unveiling” of the Riverwalk Mural will take place on October 10, 2026. “Unveiling” is a bit of a misnomer, however, because the mural has been created fully in the public eye by the artistic duo of Garrison Buxton and Bill Strecker, notable muralists. The celebration that day will be more about the completion of this extraordinary piece of art.
After they were awarded the contract to create the mural in May of 2026, the two met over the next month with members of Riverwalk’s mural committee, who offered suggestions and refinements to the design they initially proposed. The result is a 60-foot long, brightly colored, 3-D depiction of many aspects of life in Manchester, both currently and historically. You will find Hildene, the Robert Todd Lincoln Home on the mural, along with people fishing the Batten Kill, marble being transported through town from the marble quarries nearby, the famed Northshore Bookstore, maple sugaring, and many other aspects of Manchester life.
In addition to using their own artistry, the Buxton and Strecker worked with kids at Manchester Elementary & Middle School, showing them how to create stencils of their own imagining, which they incorporated into the mountainsides as textural elements. It gave the artists as opportunity to talk to the children about the importance and impact of public art.
Manchester Riverwalk is most grateful to the Right Track Foundation for underwriting the mural.
The images here were taken on the evening of Manchester’s September Street Fest, when the mural was about half done.
Find the artists on instagram @billybuxtonart.
