OBSERVER Photo by Sara Holthouse Pictured is the five-stories-tall Roger Tory Peterson mural being painted on the side of the Pearl City Arts Center as it stood at the beginning of June. The mural is set to be finished soon, with a ribbon cutting to be held on June 19.

Anyone traveling through the city past the Pearl City Arts Center in recent months has most likely seen a man on a ladder truck painting a large mural on the side of the building.

This mural honors one of Jamestown’s hometown heroes, Roger Tory Peterson, and is set to be finished in the next few weeks.

Born and raised in Jamestown, Roger Tory Peterson is renowned throughout the world for his Peterson Field Guide to the Birds, which has inspired millions of people to become passionate bird watchers. Located on the Pearl City Arts Center, 120 Foundry Alley, the mural is five stories tall. It depicts Roger Tory Peterson, binoculars in hand, art brushes on his hip, surrounded by a swirl of some of the most iconic birds he painted – including an Eastern Bluebird, the state bird of New York.

The project has been undertaken by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, and CEO Arthur Pearson said it is something they have been looking to do for a long time, but it was only now that the right combination of circumstances came together to allow it to be done. RTPI commissioned Buffalo artist Chuck Tingley to paint the mural.

Tingley is a public mural artist, and is among those that works with the AKG Art Museum in Buffalo. He has additional public art projects spanning Western New York.

“My vision is that the mural be a vibrant celebration for the Jamestown community and its visitors, honoring Roger Tory Peterson and bringing awareness to RTPI’s vital mission: inspiring others to see, study, and protect the beauty of the natural world,” Tingley said.

Funding for the mural was provided by the Gebbie Foundation, who Pearson said they partnered with as the foundation had a relationship with the Pearl City Arts Center that allowed them use of their building for the mural. He added that RTPI chose this location as it is a large site and will maximize viewability for both residents and tourists who travel by.

This mural is also something that Pearson said is very important for the city to have.

“There are several public murals celebrating Lucille Ball,” Pearson said. “There is a very nice statue of Robert H Jackson. This will be the first public art dedicated to Roger Tory Peterson in the city.”

Like Lucille Ball, Pearson said that Roger Tory Peterson was born and raised in Jamestown, presented with the presidential medal of freedom and was a hometown kid who went on to have an important career as an ambassador for all of nature. He added that this mural will celebrate one of Jamestown’s most famous hometown heroes, while also providing another public art in the city to help drive tourism and bring people in to visit the community.

There will be a ribbon cutting for the Roger Tory Peterson mural on Thursday, June 19 at 5:15 p.m. as a part of the Jumpstart to Third Thursday event. Pearson said the RTPI is also partnering with Wicked Warrens for that event, handing out free cans of root beer that will commemorate the mural, known as Rogers Root Beer.

“Jamestown has a rich tradition of public art murals,”Pearson said. “I can’t think of a more fitting way to celebrate Roger’s monumental impact on the world than with a monumentally-sized work of public art.”