Galax rejected a mural that shows an ethnically diverse group of musicians on the grounds that it didn’t represent the city.
Ellen Elmes
Ellen Elmes is an artist who has painted murals across walls in Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Scotland. Most recently, she and her husband, Don, permanently installed an outdoor mural on fabric, “Beloved Community: Northside and
East End, Bluefield, West Virginia.” Elmes is retired from 20 years of teaching art at
Southwest Virginia Community College. Her book, "Appalachian Labyrinth: Painting to the Center," is a memoir of her journey as a rural artist.
