Downtown Buchanan is now a blank canvas for an internationally recognized artist to honor a local celebrity.
Chicago-based muralist Jeff Zimmermann has been commissioned to help the City of Buchanan celebrate the achievements of BMX World Champion and Olympic Silver Medalist Hannah Roberts. Zimmermann began the project last week on the north wall of the Buchanan Honor Credit Union branch.
The idea for the project comes from the Olympic watch party held for Roberts last year, according to Buchanan Community Development Director Richard Murphy.
“How could we feel this tremendous feeling of community pride all year long?,” said Murphy. “We are so excited about this project. It is a celebration of community pride and carries such a positive message. … Hannah is bringing her positive message to all of Buchanan and across the country, that if you work hard enough and put your mind to it, you can go from the small town to the world stage.
After reaching out to local business owners for a place to put a mural, Murphy pitched the mural idea to artist Jeff Zimmermann, an accomplished artist who has worked on large mural installations all over the country and the world.
Zimmermann, who has Michigan connections, paired up a family visit with doing the project in Buchanan.
“I’ve been visiting Michigan my whole life since I was a little kid,” Zimmermann said. “Getting some of my art in this neck of the woods was appealing to me right off the bat. But when I heard about the scope of the project, I knew it was something I wanted to do. Buchanan is a cool little town and I’m honored to be able to capture Hannah’s spirit in this mural.”
The mural depicts a special moment in Hannah’s BMX freestyle career, being the first female on the planet to land a 360-tail whip in competition. Murphy said this special moment represents Hannah’s trailblazing spirit.
The mural is set to be completed in two weeks and will be enjoyed by Buchanan for the next few years.
“We hope this will be a good luck charm to Hannah as she looks to compete again in the Paris Olympic Games in 2024,” Murphy said.
