STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (WTRF) — A midnight sky in the mountains.
A fairytale forest scene.
And a tiger cub peeking out from the weeds.
They’re all designed on 360-degree canvases, and they’re waiting for you to find them in downtown city businesses.
The Great Eggsibition is a spring gallery of local artistic talent, delivered in a very seasonal way.
Nelson’s Fine Art provided 42 giant fiberglass eggs to painters months ago, and let their muse run wild.
“There’s actually a lot of landscape to paint on an egg when you start painting on it. The artists tell me that they’re actually much more canvas than they first anticipated.”
Mark Nelson, President, Steubenville Cultural Trust
The Steubenville Cultural Trust have unpacked the eggs annually in tribute to the pysanka eggs of Eastern Europe, and the traditions of Lent associated with them.
While art in the City of Murals isn’t new on its own, these are both moveable and temporary, allowing restaurants to have a striking showpiece in their front windows.
They’ve made Steubenville catch the eye of even those who aren’t local and can’t wait for the May flowers.
“We haven’t seen them all yet. We’re still working on it, but I haven’t seen one that I didn’t like.”
Tim Wagner, Visiting from Youngstown, OH
The eggs also join the nutcrackers in building the city’s reputation for unconventional tourist attractions.
With all the out-of-town interest every December, Steubenville wants to keep the economic momentum continuing year-round.
And in just a few months, the catfish will swim out to give the summer its own creative spark.
“So it’s a great kind of marriage of tourism and artistry that come together.”
Mark Nelson, President, Steubenville Cultural Trust
The Popcorn Company has maps where you can plan your egg-hunting route, sign a giant chalk egg, and take home your own eggs-quisite prize.
You can download a map at the Nutcracker Village website here, and see the list of artists here.
