The Massanutten Regional Library is pleased to announce that they have selected Tyler Kauffman as the winning muralist for the 2025 Big Read Mural Contest. Kauffman received $1,000 and the opportunity to paint his design on the Bruce Street wall of Central Library, located at 174 S. Main St. in Harrisonburg. The final mural will be unveiled at MRL’s 2025 Rocktown Author Festival on April 12, weather permitting. The Big Read Mural was made possible by the support of the Arts Council of the Valley and the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
Kauffman’s design, featuring a diverse group of library patrons alongside elements of the many worlds reading can offer, was selected unanimously by the committee.
“Tyler's design was the best reflection of what we want MRL to be--a welcoming place for our entire community,” Library Director Zach Elder stated. “MRL's vision is to be the welcoming heart of our community where all come to learn, discover, create, and connect. This mural is designed to communicate that and inspire our community to use our resources to help them achieve their goals and hopes."
This mural is one of several Kauffman has designed around Harrisonburg, including those on Billy Jack’s Shack, Riner Rentals apartments, and Nest Realty.
“Like all of Tyler’s designs, it is extremely eye-catching,” Director of Advancement Megan Medeiros added. “It was one of the most inclusive designs we received, depicting our diverse community, what the library offers the community, and what reading offers everyone.”
We hope that seeing this public mural will encourage more of our community to take advantage of the benefits and services of the library, while also communicating the welcoming nature of our Friendly City. Being in a prominent location in downtown Harrisonburg, this project will be seen by hundreds of thousands of people per year. We expect this mural to have a sizable positive impact on the arts scene in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham community.
Weather permitting, the completed mural will be unveiled during the 2025 Rocktown Author Festival on April 12. The festival highlights local authors and offers support to attendees who wish to become published authors. This year, the festival received the largest number of applications yet, allowing MRL to highlight 36 local authors and add an additional panel for a total of three. It will be held at Central Library in Downtown Harrisonburg from 10am to 3pm.
