VyStar Credit Union has unveiled a new mural that celebrates its past, present and future as part of its downtown campus located at 76 S. Laura St. in Jacksonville, Florida.
The 30-foot-by-70-foot mural, which is painted on the brick exterior of VyStar’s 100 W. Bay building, features imagery and emblems that define the organization. Those include VyStar’s iconic compass logo, the Jacksonville skyline and the credit union’s originally chartered name, Jax Navy Federal Credit Union. The mural was painted by Jacksonville-based artist Anthony Rooney.
“Since VyStar brought our campus downtown, our focus has been to create a more vibrant community that everyone can enjoy,” said EVP/Chief Operations Officer Chad Meadows. “We’re proud to support creative and artistic expression, from our collaboration with ArtRepublic on a series of murals in the VyStar Tower parking garage to the newly unveiled mural in the VyStar Breezeway. We’re honored to be a part of the revitalization and development of downtown Jacksonville, and we’ll continue to support the growth and evolution of the local arts.”
The mural project began just over a year ago with a selection process through ArtRepublic, the Jacksonville-based art curation agency VyStar previously worked with to commission several other murals in its parking garage. Rooney, a 2011 University of North Florida graduate whose work is featured in several local businesses and areas throughout Jacksonville, was chosen to create a piece that shows VyStar’s growth over time.
The mural is VyStar’s latest effort to support a broad range of local arts. The VyStar Breezeway, where the new mural is located, also features a stage that regularly hosts local musicians throughout the week and during monthly Art Walk events. VyStar also sponsors the Jacksonville Symphony, the FSCJ Artist Series and Jax River Jams, while extending support to many other arts programs across the communities it serves. VyStar continues to identify opportunities to contribute to the growth of the downtown area through the arts.
“In support of the City of Jacksonville's vision to make Downtown Jacksonville a center of activity, it's wonderful to see a locally headquartered business providing new opportunities for creativity,” said Mayor Lenny Curry. “We commend all efforts made to make the heart of our city a destination for anyone to enjoy, and VyStar's commitment to hosting local musicians, sponsoring festivals and commissioning local artists is instrumental in accomplishing that goal.”
Learn more about mural artist Anthony Rooney, his inspiration for the mural and the painting process in our feature on the VyStar blog page.