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  • Cuba Postcard Mural

Greetings from the Mural City

Remember vintage postcards? A rare occurrence these days, however, postcards were produced as an easy and inexpensive way to communicate, advertise, and share a little fun while on vacation. Viva Cuba’s most recent outdoor art installation depicts the era of the postcard with a “Greetings from Cuba Missouri” motif. With a vintage feel, the new mural at 606 W Washington St. revives the essence of a road trip on Route 66.

 

Cuba’s new postcard.

Viva Cuba is a beautification group that strives to create attractive spaces in not-so-pretty places.  Made possible by an Impact100 grant, Viva Cuba continues their mission to keep Cuba beautiful for its residents and visitors with a new mural. Impact100 is a women-led group that collectively works to improve the quality of life in Crawford County with impactful grants. 

 

“Cuba is such a unique town and Route 66 destination! We are grateful to have a community that supports the arts in so many ways. From monuments to murals, our city embraces history, art, culture, and so much more,”  comments Jill Barnett, Chairperson of Viva Cuba.

 

 

Yep, she did it again!

Collaborating again with Artist Shelly Smith Steiger, her exclusively designed postcard unfolds on the walls of the Steve Paulus Law Firm. Perched atop her scaffolding, Steiger paints in unforgiving temperatures under the unrelenting Midwest sun. Her art is certainly a gift to the community and to all the travelers on Route 66. Steiger always finds time to talk to passersby and the occasional tour group when she works on a project. Steiger has been involved in numerous Viva Cuba mural projects. Her talent and love of Cuba make this artist a beloved local celebrity. ❤️

A 1986 graduate of Cuba High School, Steiger earned a basketball scholarship to attend Mineral Area College where she studied commercial art. From there, she went on to the University of the Ozarks in Arkansas, also on a basketball scholarship, and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Art and a minor in K-12 education. She returned to Cuba to raise a family and share her art skills locally. Among the countless public art projects, she also taught art at the Cuba High School where many students fondly remember her kindness, creativity, and sense of humor. 

 

History of the postcard.

Postcards gained popularity during the era of the highway construction boom during 1930-1950 and the uptick in auto sales.  Americans were changing the way they worked, played, vacationed, and communicated with one another. Thanks to 20th-century American travel postcard printer, Curt Teich, who immigrated to America in 1895 from Germany. His company introduced the first brightly colored linen-textured postcards with the infamous line: “Greetings From…” In fact, deltiologists – people who study postcards – estimate publishers developed 150,000 different images and printed millions of copies. Sold for a penny each, the postcard soon became a favorite travel souvenir.

 

shelly smith steiger […]

THE MURALS OF CUBA, MISSOURI

WHAT IS VIVA CUBA?

In 1984, Viva Cuba, Inc. organized with the goal of beautifying Cuba to attract new industries and jobs. Many groups and individuals worked together in the early days to landscape Highway 19 and make it a more attractive entrance to Cuba.

In 1987, Viva Cuba became the first Adopt-A-Highway site in the state Over the years, planting continued, cleanup projects went forward, banners took their places in the community, and in the ’90s the Viva Cuba Garden, which has been enhanced, became a part of the four-way Hwy. 19 and Route 66 intersection. These efforts continue with maintenance and further improvements.

In 2001, Viva Cuba implemented a major project of commissioning 12 outdoor murals by Cuba’s 150th anniversary in 2007. Organizations and individuals supported Viva Cuba’s efforts and helped the organization reach its goal.  Today Viva Cuba maintains 14 murals and Cuba is known as “Route 66 Mural City”.  Since 2012, Cuba has been a Tree City USA Community.

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