To celebrate Amberley Village’s 75^th anniversary, a committee of Amberley residents collaborated with Kennedy Heights Arts Center to do something special that would pay homage to Amberley and its history.  I was selected by the committee to design an outdoor mural on a wall adjacent to the Municipal Building.  When I met with the committee members and toured the historic parks and pastures of the neighborhood, it was clear to me that the people of Amberley enjoyed its natural untouched beauty.  The homes and public buildings in Amberley don’t live on top of nature they live within nature.  The natural rural environment is the core to its everlasting charm.

From July 6^th through July 17^th I worked  community members of Amberley Village and other creative people making the design come to life. I would like to thank the community of Amberley Village and the Kennedy Heights Arts Center  for inviting me to do this mural and a special thanks goes to Tenley Rissover, Patti Rulli, Jim Rulli, Dave Remerowski, Micayah Smith, Anne Knellinger, Alex Wilson, Sabrina Mantle, George Kalomeres, Monica Lira, Evan Hodnett, Diamond Snowden, Taylor Noell Roberts, Evan Shelton and Lauren Petit, for their talent and dedication to this project.

I wanted this mural to celebrate the community’s respect for wildlife and nature. Whoever looks upon this wall should feel invited to be a part of this place where man and wildlife live in harmonious respect.  The Police and Fire departments are one entity united to serve and support the people of Amberley. They stand for safety, security and support. It was important they have a significant presence in the mural.

When you enter Amberley from Ridge or Section road the trees frame your peripheral vision.  The tree branches in the upper corners of the mural along with the rolling foliage in bottom corners recreate this frame.  The trees and pond of Amberley Green invite you in; the wise owl standing under the municipal building welcomes you.  The horse and rooster are symbols of the village’s farming history. The American eagle spreads its wings over the police badge and the red fire shield. Ram’s horns, or shofars, recognize Amberley’s Jewish community. The deer, foxes and squirrel invite you to walk in closer to the mural to find silhouettes of people like you and me walking, running and living within this place of beauty.

Cedric Michael Cox