ABOUT THE MURAL

The artist Gabe Gault is best known for his portraits and trademark backgrounds using camouflage patterns. His motto is "blending in and standing out".

Gabe often utilizes flora and fauna in his paintings as a narrative or symbolic device. Sunflowers are a particular favorite of his. In classic literature and art, sunflowers represent hope, faith, and good fortune. Just as the sun moves across the sky each day - the sunflower follows it faithfully and diligently.

The Glass City River Wall is deeply grateful to the Native American community, particularly the Myaamia Center in Oxford, Ohio (www.myaamiacenter.org). The recognition that the Indigenous people of our area are a part of Toledo’s past, present, and future is reflected in the model’s modern-day clothing mixed with identifiable jewelry reflective of Native American cultures. Each of the models is living today and is a testament to our true history.

Local artist Dean Davis is the heart and force behind the installation of the Glass City River Wall. He is a notable muralist, tattooist, and airbrush artist and has expertise in architectural restoration.

Gabe appreciates the strong female role his sister, mother, and grandmother played in his upbringing, and this comes through in the portraiture on the silos. The portraits represent the original agriculturalists from this region - the Native American women and children who played a significant role in planting and maintaining the vast corn fields that historically lined the banks of the Maumee river from Toledo to Fort Wayne, IN.

The models used for these images are from three different Tribes - The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, The Shawnee Tribe, and the Dakota Tribe. We chose living models from tribes to reinforce the fact that Native Americans are not a people from the past but exist in vibrant communities today. Many of the tribes who considered this region home were forcibly relocated in the mid-19th century and reside west of the Mississippi today.

• Tnemec is a privately-owned company and is heavily invested in developing innovative technologies for coating projects that require extra protection. 
• Tnemec manufactures over 250 different coatings for a variety of substrates, conditions, and environments. Its products are trusted by specifiers and applicators all over the world.  
• By focusing on performance testing and using top-of-the-line equipment, Tnemec ensures its products are suited to withstand the environmental elements. 
• Tnemec tests and retests each product to qualify each coating’s ability to resist corrosion, UV light, abrasion, and other causes of coating degradation. 
• Both Tnemec products used in this project are low VOC and water-based, making them safer and easier to apply, while still showcasing excellent performance. 
• With local representatives all across the United States, Tnemec has provided us with technical and customer support throughout all stages of this project.