Steampunk-themed mural coming to Dirigible Brewing Company
Chris Loring and Colin Knirk, co-owners of Dirigible Brewing Company, announce Littleton- Then and Now, a community art project that will grace the walls of their taproom on Porter Road in Littleton.
“We’re very excited to collaborate with Bernadette Stockwell, long time Littleton resident, who proposed painting a mural depicting notable scenes from Littleton both past and present,” Loring said.
“The first time I visited Dirigible, I immediately connected with their steampunk theme,” Stockwell said. “I imagined a map of the town painted on their expansive walls depicting Littleton’s schools, churches, civic buildings, and notable long-standing business establishments.”
Stockwell looked to primitive paintings by Grandma Moses for inspiration and found her style conducive to a large-scale mural.
By definition, steampunk represents all things ‘retro-futurism.’ From cosplay garments to interior design to accessories and art, the theme of depicting items commonplace in the late 1800s fused with modern devices provides a vibe at once both intriguing and tantalizing.
“When Colin and I partnered as brew masters, we knew coming up with a business name was essential, and through roundabout brainstorming, we arrived at the idea of an airship.
Eventually, the word dirigible seemed to capture everything we were looking for,” Loring shared.
Knirk added, “We landed (pun intended) on the Steampunk genre because we already had plenty of interest in the genre, attending many Steampunk festivals. Steampunk also conveniently shares many of the same color themes of beer: Reds, golds, brass, browns, and blacks.”
In keeping with this sci-fi/steam theme, Stockwell proposed including a time machine in the mural depicting modern buildings painted with the steampunk theme.
“With the possibility to travel back in time,” Stockwell explained, “the mural will also include several notable- now absent- landmarks. One of my favorites will be the Monarch Diner, which once served at the diner fair just off the town common on King Street. Other long gone but local landmarks will be the United Elastic Water Tower, also near the common and Central Tavern, which stood across the street from the Littleton Historical Society.”
To make this project a community art project, Stockwell welcomes volunteers to help paint the various scenes once the overall scenes have been finalized. If interested in participating, please email Stockwell at bstockwell@doyourart.org or stop by Dirigible and sign the mural volunteer sheet at the bar.
For more information on this project, visit www.dirigiblebrewing.com and www.doyourart.org
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Grab a pint. Catch a flight.
Dirigible Brewing Company aims to be a community and family-oriented Steampunk-themed brewery. At DBC, everything starts with fresh ingredients, often sourced from local farmers, resulting in the highest quality end products. DBC encourages customers to bring their food or patronize various food truck vendors and enjoy listening to a rotation of bands representing a plethora of musical genres while enjoying a pint or a flight of their latest tap offerings.